GARY, Ind.—The Sioux City Explorers (45-24) continued their dominant stretch with a 5-1 win over the Gary SouthShore RailCats (22-47), securing yet another series victory. A steady mix of timely hitting and bullpen depth helped Sioux City control the game after a weather delay halted play mid-contest.
Much like the rest of this series, the pitching set the tone early. Jared Wetherbee and Peyton Long (4-5) kept the game scoreless through four as the offenses combined for four hits in that stretch.
Sioux City pulled Wetherbee after four frames as an injury precaution. Veteran right-hander Nate Gercken (5-2) entered in the fifth, and Gary SouthShore’s offense promptly ignited. Gercken retired Jake Guenther to start his outing, but three consecutive base hits, most notably Cooper Edwards’ RBI single, provided the RailCats with a 1-0 advantage.
The Explorers answered in the ensuing half-inning, opening the frame with three consecutive hits of their own. Josh Day capped the rally with a two-run single that gave the Explorers their first lead of the day. Rain began to fall immediately after the go-ahead knock, suspending the game for more than three hours.
Demarcus Evans took over for Gary SouthShore when play resumed and worked around a walk to Nick Shumpert to finally send the game into the bottom of the sixth inning. Rookie left-hander Ben DeTaeye replaced the ten-year professional and sent the RailCats down in order.
Former Explorer Denson Hull took the mound in the seventh and struggled through the inning. He walked Henry George, extending his on-base streak to 22 games, and did the same to Zac Vooletich. The next batter, D’Shawn Knowles, poked a single into center field, driving in George and extending the X’s lead.
DeTaeye recorded one out in the bottom of the seventh before manager Steve Montgomery turned to Brett Matthews after Jake Hoover doubled. The tall right-hander faced the tying run twice in the frame and retired both hitters punctuating his outing with a strikeout of Edwards.
Chase Jessee fired a scoreless eighth, Josh Day added two more RBI to his game total and Felix Cepeda popped out for the ninth. The righty worked an easy outing as the Sioux City Explorers won their ninth straight series.
After an off day on Monday, the Sioux City Explorers travel back to Iowa to face off against the Kansas City Monarchs for a three-game set. First pitch for all three games is at 7:05. 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.