SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2024
KANSAS CITY TAKES DOWN SIOUX CITY AGAIN
X’S BATS COME ALIVE BUT COME UP SHORT
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Kansas City Monarchs claimed the series over the Sioux City Explorers Saturday night, winning the second game of the series 9-5. The X’s held the advantage for the first part, but it was late-inning offense that propelled the Monarchs ahead.
In the top of the first, Sioux City starter Antonio Velez allowed three consecutive singles to load the bases with one out but was able to work out of it by striking out Kansas City’s Cameron Cannon and inducing a flyout from Tucker Bradley.
Monarchs’ starter Yefry Ramirez began the game with a perfect first inning, and Explorers’ Velez followed it with his own perfect inning on the mound in the top of the second.
The X’s found their way onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the second when Brennen Dorighi knocked in a run by sending home Nick Shumpert on an RBI groundout, making it a 1-0 Sioux City lead.
Antonio Velez continued to dominate with a perfect third inning and Jake Ortega helped him out extending the Explorers’ advantage to 2-0 with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the third.
In the top of the fourth, it was more great pitching from Velez, who had another one-two-three inning. Yet again, the X’s followed up the shutout inning with another run when Sioux City’s Chase Harris knocked a sac fly RBI that sent home Daniel Perez, giving the Explorers a 3-0 lead.
X’s Velez had another shutdown inning in the top of the fifth, but Sioux City was also shutout for the first frame since the first inning.
The top of the sixth was when the tide started changing, and after retiring 15 straight batters, Explorers’ Velez issued his first walk of the game. That led to an offensive onslaught from Kansas City where Blake Rutherford knocked a two-RBI single that sent home Monarchs’ Josh Bissonette and Travis Swaggerty, making it a 3-2 Sioux City lead. Following another walk after that, the X’s turned to Denson Hull out of the bullpen. Kansas City’s Channy Ortiz kept the offense alive with a two-RBI single, sending around Cameron Cannon and Tucker Bradley to give the Monarchs a 4-3 lead before Hull was able to work out of the inning.
Daniel Lingua was the only baserunner for the X’s in the sixth after knocking a double, but he was thrown out trying to turn it into a triple.
In the seventh inning, the Monarchs kept the offense going, scoring three more runs. It started with an RBI off Sioux City’s Zach Willeman from Kansas City’s Cameron Cannon on a misplayed ball in leftfield that sent home Ross Adolph, extending the lead to 5-3. The Monarchs lead quickly became 6-3 as Kansas City’s Tucker Bradley followed with an RBI single, scoring Travis Swaggerty. Monarchs’ Frankie Tostado finished off the seventh inning scoring for KC with an RBI double to put Cameron Cannon across home, making it 7-3 Kansas City.
Sioux City rallied in the seventh when John Nogowski hit a sac fly into centerfield off Monarchs’ reliever Jacob Cantleberry, sending Chase Harris home to score and cutting the deficit to 7-4. It was brought back to a two-run game when X’s Scott Ota reached safely and Jake Ortega scored, thanks to an error from Kansas City’s Channy Ortiz.
The Monarchs added to their lead in the eighth on an RBI single from Travis Swaggerty off Explorers’ reliever Nate Gercken, and they would add one more in the ninth on an RBI single from Kansas City’s Channy Ortiz off Sioux City’s Matt Ball which sent Cameron Cannon home for his third run of the game, making it a 9-5 Monarchs lead.
Kansas City’s Zack Leban struck out the side in the eighth inning and closed the door for the save (1) in the ninth.
The Explorers and Monarchs will play the final game of the three-game series Sunday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. at Mercy One Field at Lewis and Clark Park. Ticket packages for the 2024 season are on sale now, including Full and Half-Season Tickets as well as 10, 15 and 25-game Flex Packs. More information is available by calling 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.
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