SIOUX CITY, Iowa— The Sioux City Explorers (18-11) overcame early defensive miscues to edge out the Lake Country DockHounds (14-13) in a 5-3 win at Lewis and Clark Park. Behind seven strong innings from Jared Wetherbee (4-1) and a clutch two-run double from D’Shawn Knowles, the Explorers secured their third victory in the six-game home-and-home series.
The X’s threw Wetherbee into the fire immediately to bolster their defense. Sioux City committed two errors in the second and one in the third, leading to two unearned runs, the only ones the lefty yielded all game.
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Kurtis Byrne doubled off of Chris Jefferson (0-1) to lead off the frame. Two batters later, Nick Shumpert got a piece of a 1-1 pitch off the end of the bat and poked it into short right field for a base hit, scoring Byrne and tying the game.
Wetherbee continued to mow down the opposition, working through seven frames and keeping his team in the game. The Elon alum left with the lead thanks to a two-run double to right by D’Shawn Knowles.
Knowles fell behind 0-2, worked in full, and, on the tenth pitch of the at-bat, he smoked one down the right field line, bringing home Byrne and Nick Shumpert. Sioux City would tack on a run to take a 5-2 lead into the eighth.
Brett Matthews appeared for the first time in an X’s uniform but only recorded two outs in the eighth, and Chase Jessee replaced him after walking the bases loaded. Jessee had struggled in the last five outings but struck out Nick Northcut, who represented the go-ahead run and left the sacks full.
Felix Cepeda came on to close out the contest and earned his seventh save of the season. The X’s lead this six-game home-and-home series 3-1 and can clinch the season series tomorrow with a victory.
The remaining two games against Lake Country start 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.