SIOUX CITY, Iowa—The Sioux City Explorers (32–19) bounced back with a sharp all-around effort on Saturday night, shutting out the Gary SouthShore RailCats (14–36) in a 4–0 victory at Lewis and Clark Park. Fueled by timely hitting and shutdown relief, the X’s cruised to a wire-to-wire win to open the series.
Zach Willeman’s departure to the Cincinnati Reds organization left the Explorers with a void in the rotation. Angel Macuare may have proved he’s the answer in his very first start as a Sioux City Explorer.
Limited to 50 pitches, the Venezuelan righty fired four innings of scoreless and hitless baseball, punching out five in the process. He provided a nice change of pace after Kane County’s 11-run outburst from the night before.
After two scoreless innings from Macuare and Gary SouthShore starter Andres Diaz (2-6), the X’s got cooking. Henry George, a.k.a. Ole Reliable, knocked in a pair with a single to center.
The X’s never lost the lead in the contest as Austin Davis put together a career day. The TCU alum built off his three-run blast from the night before and ripped off his third three-hit game of the series opener.
Davis’s biggest hit of the contest occurred after Osvaldo Tovalin’s first home run of the season to push the X’s in front 3-0. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Davis lined Diaz’s 0-1 pitch down the left field line, plating a run as the runners moved station to station.
The 4-0 lead was plenty for the Explorers as Peniel Otaño (1-4) relieved Macuare in the fifth and blew through three scoreless innings. Chase Jessee extended his stretch of not allowing an earned run to 15 innings after a scoreless eighth, and Nate Gercken finished off the win in the ninth.
Sioux City continues a three-game series with the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Saturday with its conclusion on Sunday. First pitch for Saturday is at 6:05 while the Ticket packages for the 2025 season are on sale now, including Full and Half-Season Tickets as well as 10-, 15-, and 25-game Flex Packs. For more information, please call the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS. Stay tuned to the Explorers’ social media channels and the club’s website, xsbaseball.com, for all our news and updates.