712.277.WINS (9467)

BOX SCORE-Game 1

BOX SCORE-Game 2

Sioux City, IA-The Explorers allowed 30 base hits over the final two games of their series with Winnipeg and fell 6-2 and 10-0 Wednesday night at Lewis & Clark Park.

With the loss from the suspended first game, Sioux City (33-44) had its season-high five-game win streak snapped. The Explorers finish the season series against the Goldeyes with a 7-3 record. Winnipeg (47-29) posted a five-run fifth before the rain came Tuesday night and halted play with the score at 5-2. Wednesday evening, the Goldeyes added a run in the sixth and held the X’s scoreless the rest of the night. Part of that five-run fifth included a two-run home run by league-leading hitter Casey Haerther. Brock Bond and Josh Mazzola each had run-scoring doubles in the inning as well.

Brock Bond and Tyler Kuhn both had three-hit games for Winnipeg. For Sioux City, Andres Perez (pictured) went 2-for-3. On the mound, lefty reliever Gabe Aguilar picked up the win. Aguilar (7-2) worked two innings and gave up just two hits with three strikeouts. John Straka took the loss for the Explorers. Straka (6-5) lasted four-and-a-third and allowed five earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Brendan Lafferty posted the rare, three-inning save for the Goldeyes. It was Lafferty’s second of the season after he struck out four and did not allow a hit.   

Wednesday’s regularly scheduled game lasted just seven innings, but Winnipeg wasted little time before the offense started rolling again. The Goldeyes put up a four-run second and cruised from there. Luis Alen started the scoring as he clubbed a two-run home run up the left-field line. Winnipeg made it 5-0 with a run in the third. In the sixth, another four-spot made it 9-0 after Tyler Kuhn had an RBI triple and Reggie Abercrombie jacked a three-run home run to deep left. The Goldeyes plated one more for good measure in the top of the seventh.

At the plate, Sioux City managed just three hits in the nightcap. Michael Lang had two of those. For Winnipeg, Reggie Abercrombie led the way with three hits, a home run, and three RBIs. Five other Goldeyes collected two hits. Donnie Webb, Tyler Kuhn, and Luis Allen all drove in two. Left-handed starter Nick Hernandez notched the first complete game shutout of his career. Hernandez (8-2) went all seven and yielded just three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. For the Explorers, Lars Liguori suffered the loss. Liguori (0-2) went five-and-a-third and allowed eight earned runs on thirteen hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

The X’s went 5-3 on the eight-game home stand. They took three of four from Fargo-Moorhead before winning the first two games against Winnipeg 10-3 and 8-0. The team sits eight-and-a-half games out of first-place in the Central Division of the American Association.  

Sioux City begins a seven-game road trip in St. Paul with the first of four tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 at Midway Stadium. After a three-game set in Gary, the Explorers are back home against Lincoln on August 14^th. For ticket information and promotion specials at Lewis & Clark Park, call 712-277-WINS or visit the Explorers website at www.xsbaseball.com.