EXPLORERS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT ON WACKY WALK OFF
X’s Walk Off Without a Ninth Inning Hit
Sioux City, IA (June 4, 2022) – Despite not collecting a hit in the ninth inning the Sioux City Explorers walked it off against the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Saturday night 5-4.
A weird ballgame got the scoring started in the fourth inning when the RailCats plated the first run of the game on a wild pitch. A RBI single from Zach Racusin put the RailCats up 2-0 on Sioux City.
The X’s cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth on a Danny Amaral single to make it 2-1.
Sioux City took the lead with a three run seventh. Chase Harris tied the game with a double down the left field line and Nick Franklin’s two-run, two-out single gave the X’s a 4-2 lead.
In the top of the eighth, Gary was able to tie the game. Daniel Lingua barely beat out a possible double play and advanced to second when Michael Cruz was hit in the foot. An error on a throw to second on a ground ball back to the mound scored Lingua and pushed Cruz to third. Cruz then scored on a Sam Abbott base hit tying things up 4-4.
Thomas McIlraith (1-1) then entered the game with two on and one out. He got a fly ball to right before allowing an infield single and then struck out Jayveon Williams with the bases loaded to end the inning.
In the ninth, McIlraith walked the lead off batter who stole second and advanced to third on a ground out. But a strike out and a ground out ended the threat keeping the game tied. McIlraith picked up the win as he went an inning and two-thirds scoreless with a pair of strikeouts.
The bottom of the ninth began with Cordell Dunn walking for a fourth time in the game. Chase Harris attempting to sacrifice himself was hit with a pitch. Danny Amaral laid down a sacrifice bunt that was dropped by the RailCats first basemen to load the bases with nobody out.
Nick Franklin then hit a ground ball to the shortstop who threw the ball home for the force out. The catcher Cruz then threw the ball to third as Chase Harris was attempting to dive back to the bag. The ball hit Harris and rolled into shallow left field where Harris scored to win the game for the X’s as it officially goes in as a walk-off fielder’s choice error.
Sioux City has now won four straight after snapping their nine game losing streak. They go for their first sweep on the season on Sunday afternoon at 4:05 pm. Zach Hedges (0-2, 8.44) gets the ball for Sioux City and will be opposed by right hander Nick Garcia (1-0, 4.39).