712.277.WINS (9467)

BOX SCORE

Fargo, ND-The Explorers scored at least a run in five consecutive innings on their way to a 14-8 victory over the RedHawks Friday night at Newman Outdoor Field.

With the win, Sioux City (43-48) evened the season series with Fargo-Moorhead (38-52) at six wins apiece. The Explorers are on a two-game winning streak, while the RedHawks have dropped five in a row. Fargo began the scoring with a one-out, two-run home run in the first inning off the bat of Nic Jackson. Ronnie Bourquin had walked one batter before. The blast was Jackson’s ninth of the season.  

The Explorers offense was held in check for the first two frames, but broke out in a big-way in the third. Amos Ramon (pictured) led off the inning with a solo home run. It was his fourth of the season. With one out, Michael Lang reached on an infield single. Oscar Mesa followed with a walk. On a wild pitch, Lang scored the tying run all the way from second and Mesa went to third. Mesa then came home on a Tim Colwell single to right for a 3-2 lead.

In the fourth, the X’s added to the lead with two more tallies. Peter Barrows led off with a single to center and later went to third on an Amos Ramon single. Barrows scored Sioux City’s fourth run on a passed ball. Michael Lang made it 5-2 on an infield single that brought in Ramon from third.

A two-out, bases loaded walk in the fifth gave the Explorers a four-run lead that quickly evaporated. Fargo-Moorhead tied it with a four-spot in the bottom of the inning. Ronnie Bourquin led off with a walk and then scored on a Nic Jackson double to left. After a C.J. Retherford single to right, an error on the infield scored Jackson.  Back-to-back singles by Michael Thompson and Brandon Tripp plated Sawyer Carroll and it was 6-5. The tying run scored on a sacrifice fly from Anthony Kaskadden.

Sioux City continued the offensive onslaught in the sixth. After back-to-back one-out walks, a double by Brock Kjeldgaard scored Tim Colwell for a 7-6 lead. Rene Tosoni then scored on a passed ball for a two-run advantage. Kjeldgaard later came home on a wild pitch and it was 9-6.

The Explorers kept the pedal on the floorboard with three more marks in the seventh. Peter Barrows had a two-run scoring single in the inning for a 12-6 cushion. The RedHawks grabbed a run back in the eighth. In the ninth, Sioux City plated its final runs of the night on a two-run home run from Rene Tosoni. It was Tosoni’s seventh dinger of the season. Fargo-Moorhead pushed a run across in the bottom of the ninth for the final margin.

On the mound, Patrick Johnson posted the win for Sioux City. Johnson (9-5) labored through five innings and gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits with two strikeouts and three walks. For Fargo-Moorhead, reliever Kevin Fuqua suffered the loss. Fuqua (5-3) pitched just one-third of an inning and allowed two earned runs with three walks.

At the plate, five X’s batters had at least two hits. Peter Barrows went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Rene Tosoni and Brock Kjeldgaard also drove in two runs apiece. Nic Jackson and C.J. Retherford both posted four-hit nights for the RedHawks. Jackson also collected three RBIs.

Sioux City plays game two of the weekend series in Fargo Saturday night at 6 o’clock. The X’s have just one home series remaining this season against Gary SouthShore August 26^th-28^th. For ticket information and promotion specials at Lewis & Clark Park, call 712-277-WINS or visit the Explorers website at www.xsbaseball.com.