712.277.WINS (9467)

BOX SCORE

Wichita, KS-A five-run fifth-inning broke open a tie game and propelled the Wingnuts to an 8-5 victory over the Explorers Sunday afternoon at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Sioux City (25-37) finishes 0-6 against Wichita this season, and exits on a five-game losing streak. The Explorers scored first in the series finale, as two runs came across in the top of the fourth. Michael Lang led off the inning with a walk. Lang sped home with the game’s first run as Rene Tosoni singled to right and the ensuing throw back to the infield went awry. Tosoni moved up to third on the error. Andres Perez then singled and Tosoni scored for a 2-0 lead.

Wichita (43-18) quickly responded in the home half of the fourth. After two fly-outs, Jake Kauhaulelio reached on a single and stole second. An error resulted from the stolen base and moved Kauhaulelio to third. An RBI single by Brent Clevlen made it 2-1. Clevlen stole second and later moved to third before a Carlo Testa double drove him in for a 2-2 tie.

The fifth inning swung the contest into Wichita’s win-column. Trevor Whyte led off with a ground rule double. Whyte went first to third on a single by David Amberson. A fielder’s choice brought in Whyte and it was 3-2. A one-out walk put Chris McClendon on at first. Jake Kauhaulelio smacked a double that drove in Amberson. The lead swelled to 7-2 after Brent Clevlen launched a three-run home run for his eighth dinger of the season.

The Wingnuts added a single mark in the sixth for an 8-2 cushion. Sioux City pushed one across in the seventh and plated two more in the eighth for the game’s final margin.

Wichita starter Jason Van Skike worked seven innings for the victory. Van Skike (8-2) allowed three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Explorers’ newcomer Lars Ligouri took the loss. Ligouri (0-1) went six innings and gave up eight earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Matt Nevarez pitched the ninth and earned his 17^th save of the season.

At the plate, Michael Lang and Rene Tosoni (pictured) each collected two hits for the X’s. Lang also scored twice. Andres Perez had a hit and drove in two. For Wichita, Brent Clevlen went 3-for-4 with the homer, two runs, and four RBIs. David Amberson and Jake Kauhaulelio each had two-hit games. Ryan Khoury posted two RBIs. The Wingnuts outhit the Explorers 11-10, and each team made one error. Wichita also stole seven bases.

Sioux City returns home for a four-game set against Gary SouthShore on Monday, July 21^st. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. For ticket information and promotion specials at Lewis & Clark Park, call 712-277-WINS or visit the Explorers website at www.xsbaseball.com.