WINNIPEG, Manitoba- The Winnipeg Goldeyes (17-20) walked off the Sioux City Explorers (25-14) in dramatic fashion, claiming a 4-3 victory in ten innings to even the series on Saturday night. In a tightly contested battle marked by stellar pitching and missed opportunities, Roby Enriquez delivered the decisive blow with a walk-off single that ended Sioux City’s six-game winning streak in games started by Jared Wetherbee.
Starting pitchers Wetherbee and Jesse Galindo kept both offenses in check through the opening two innings, trading scoreless frames to begin the contest.
With two outs in the third, Henry George sparked Sioux City’s offense by singling and advancing to third on a throwing error during a stolen base attempt. Zac Vooletich followed with a sharp single to left, plating George and giving the Explorers a 1-0 edge.
Winnipeg responded swiftly. Jacob Robson wasted no time, launching the first pitch he saw over the right-center field wall to even the score.
Later in the inning, Wetherbee appeared poised to escape a jam by striking out Roby Enriquez with runners on first and second. However, the third strike bounded away from catcher Kurtis Byrne, allowing Gustavo Sosa to race home from second and give the Goldeyes a 2-1 lead.
Winnipeg added another run before the frame concluded, stamping a crooked number on the scoreboard and seizing early momentum.
Sioux City threatened in the top of the fifth, placing runners on the corners with one out, enough for Winnipeg manager Logan Watkins to decide Galindo’s night had run its course. Watkins turned to his bullpen, calling on right-hander Ryder Yakel to navigate the jam.
The move, however, quickly backfired as Zac Vooletich once again came through, threading a single through the left side to drive in his second run of the game. Sioux City later loaded the bases in the inning but was unable to capitalize further, leaving the frame with just one run to show for the threat.
The Explorers extended their offense in the following frame as Austin Davis launched a solo home run to left field, knotting the game at three.
Wetherbee settled in after the three-run hiccup in the third, working scoreless over the subsequent three frames. The lefty notched his sixth quality start of the season. He recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts without issuing a single walk, marking the second time this year he’s delivered a flawless outing in terms of command.
D’Shawn Knowles opened the seventh inning with a softly hit bouncer toward third. Ramon Bramasco fielded it cleanly, but his throw sailed wide down the left-field line, allowing Knowles to advance to third with no outs. The Explorers were unable to capitalize, as Ben Onyshko efficiently retired the next three batters in order, preserving the tie through seven innings.
Chase Jessee (3-1) took over for Wetherbee in the seventh and delivered three clean, three-up, three-down frames. With neither side able to break the deadlock, the game moved into the tenth inning, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
In the top of the first extra frame, Knowles started the inning on second base, and Nick Shumpert executed a sacrifice bunt to advance him to third. Abdiel Layer lifted a fly ball to shallow left field, too shallow for Knowles to tag and score. Torin Montgomery followed with a pop-out, and the X’s squandered yet another prime scoring opportunity as Trevor Brigden (2-2).
Jessee emerged from the dugout and took the mound for his fourth inning of relief in the bottom of the tenth inning. Winnipeg was successful in their small ball attempt as well as Ray-Patrick Didded sacrificed zombie runner Keshawn Lynch over to third base.
Robson lifted a routine pop-up to the shortstop, and Jessee engaged nine-hitter Sosa in a tense full-count battle with the winning run just 90 feet from the plate. The left-hander had been flawless to that point, retiring 11 consecutive batters to open his relief appearance before issuing a walk to Sosa, extending the inning.
Manager Steve Montgomery opted to intentionally walk leadoff hitter Ramon Bramasco, setting up a potential force at any base as Roby Enriquez stepped in as the final hope in the bottom of the tenth. On a 2-2 count, Enriquez served a single past shortstop Josh Day into left field, driving in Lynch with the winning run to clinch the 4-3 victory and even the series.
With the loss, Sioux City suffered its second extra-innings defeat of the season.
The X’s complete their road trip tomorrow in the series finale against Winnipeg at 1:00 pm. Sioux City returns home on June 24th against the Goldeyes. First pitch for Friday is at 7:00 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.