SIOUX CITY, Iowa—The Sioux City Explorers (47-25) stormed back to win a suspended extra-inning thriller 9-8 over the Kansas City Monarchs (41-31) before falling 3-2 in ten innings in the series finale. The rivals traded haymakers across two tense finishes, wrapping up a heavyweight showdown with a split.
The Explorers resumed the suspended game trailing 8-4 in the bottom of the eighth, the first extra frame, with the bases loaded and none out. Luis Toribio pinch hit for Zac Vooletich as Josh Bortka (1-2) took over on the mound for Steffon Moore.
Toribio crushed Bortka’s 2-2 offering in the signature moment of the 2025 season, tying the game at eight with a grand slam over the wall in right. D’Shawn Knowles and Josh Day both singled and stole their way into scoring position, bringing up Torin Montgomery with a chance to win the game, still with no outs.
The final game of the three-game set saw the Monarchs score a first-inning run. Robbie Glendinning added another for Kansas City with an RBI single in the third before the Explorers picked up their first hit of the contest.
Kurtis Byrne broke up the no-hitter with a single and sparked a small rally in the third, scoring on Josh Day’s RBI single. Tensions had been high the entire series, but the benches cleared following the frame, forcing the umpires to warn both dugouts.
The rivals traded zeros over the subsequent few frames as Drury settled in, but Josh Hendrickson hiccuped in the sixth. Abdiel Layer stepped the dish with two on and two out, and tomahawked a game-tying single into left field.
Steve Montgomery removed his starter with one out in the seventh, calling upon right-handed specialist Brett Matthews, who got through the seventh and recorded two outs in the eighth before handing the ball over to setup man Chase Jessee. The left-hander struck out Ryan Letich to keep the game tied. Sioux City went quietly in its half of the eighth, as a 2-2 score remained heading into the final frame.
Despite walking two hitters in the frame, the theatrical lefty sawed through a scoreless ninth, finishing off his electrifying outing with an enormous strikeout of former Explorer John Nogowski. The all-star set up another walk-off opportunity for the Explorers, but his offense went down in order against Patrick Pridgen (2-3), sending the game two extra innings for the second night in a row.
Closer Felix Cepeda (4-2) toed the rubber in the tenth as Nogowski took his place as the zombie runner at second base. Jaylyn Williams failed on the sacrifice bunt attempt, popping up to Montgomery for the first out, but Nogowski slyly stole third to make up for it.
The next batter, Blake Rutherford, sent a fly ball to shallow center. Austin Davis made the catch and fired to the plate with Nogowski tagging. The ball handcuffed Byrne at the plate and skipped past him, allowing Nogowski to score and Kansas City to take a 3-2 lead.
Left-hander Steffon Moore emerged from the bullpen in the bottom of the frame as Landen Barns headed to second base, representing the tying run. Nick Shumpert led off the tenth, but couldn’t get the bunt down and struck out to open the inning.
Davis bounced back to the box, holding Barns at second. George was the last hope for the X’s and sent a humpback liner out to right field, but Rutherford made an outstanding diving catch to end the game and help the Monarchs salvage the final game of this series.
The Explores begin a new three-game series Friday against the Lincoln Saltdogs. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. 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.