SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
August 11, 2023
By Austin Thomas
EXPLORERS FEAST ON CHICAGO DOGS
SIOUX CITY TAKES SERIES OPENER
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Sioux City Explorers (42-37) left only crumbs behind as they took the first game over the Chicago Dogs (40-38) Friday night, 9-2. The Explorers saw Austin Drury (3-4) go 6.2 innings, allowing just one run and after a six-run feast in the sixth, they never looked back. The win represents Sioux City’s fifth consecutive series-opening victory after winning each of their last four series.
The Dogs tried to ketchup in the second inning, scoring on a double steal first with Chicago’s Matt Bottcher taking second and pulling the throw as Josh Altmann rushed home, giving the Dogs a 1-0 lead.
The X’s retaliated in the bottom of the frame when Sioux City’s Kyle Kasser hit a double before being sent home on a Miguel Sierra RBI single off Chicago starter Trevor Lane (4-6), knotting it 1-1.
After a couple more scoreless frames, the Explorers broke it open in the bottom of the fifth, starting with X’s Chase Harris and Scott Ota’s hitting back-to-back one-out singles before Matt Lloyd sent Harris home with a single of his own, giving Sioux City a 2-1 lead. Tyler Rando followed up with the fourth consecutive single for the Explorers, loading the bases before Vince Fernandez was hit by pitch to score another run, extending the lead to 3-1.
A bases-loaded walk to Sioux City’s Wilfredo Gimenez extended the lead to 4-1 and made the Dogs turn to reliever Andrew Edwards, before he walked Kyle Kasser to make it 5-1. Miguel Sierra followed, ripping a two-RBI double off Edwards and making it a 7-1 game.
Despite the already large lead, the X’s stayed hungry, piling on more in the eighth when Explorers Tyler Rando knocked home Daniel Perez and Chase Harris on a two-RBI single off Chicago’s Conor Maguire, extending the lead to 9-1 Sioux City.
The Dogs managed to add one run in the ninth on a Cody Bohanek sac fly, but they didn’t threaten the X’s as the Explorers won their fourth game in the last five.
The Explorers continue their series with the Chicago Dogs in game two of the three-game series Saturday night August 12 with the first pitch set for 6:05 p.m. Tickets for the season can be purchased online as XSBaseball.com, in person at the Lewis and Clark Park Box Office or by calling 712-277-WINS. You can catch all the X’s action on aabaseball.tv and on radio at KSCJ 94.9 FM and 1360 AM with the pregame beginning 30 minutes prior to first pitch.