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Sioux City In Second Place For First Time This Year

Kansas City, KS (July 9, 2021) – The Kansas City Monarchs used a six run fourth inning to down the Sioux City Explorers 8-2 in the series opener.

The Monarchs got off to a fast start as Darnell Sweeney led off the bottom of the first with a home run making it 1-0 Kansas City. 

The score remained that way till the 4th as both teams threatened but did not score. In the bottom of the fourth the Monarchs struck for six runs in the frame on six hits. After back to back singles to open the inning and a wild pitch, a Daniel Wasinger base hit plated a pair making it 3-0. Jan Hernandez scored a pair with a base hit with the bases loaded, a third wild pitch of the inning scored another and a Casey Gillaspie single finished the scoring to make it 7-0. 

Joe Riley (2-20 was handed the loss as he went only four innings allowing the seven runs on ten hits with a pair of strikeouts and a walk. 

Kansas City made it 8-0 in the following inning on a Hernandez bases loaded walk. 

Sioux City was able to add a pair in the seventh as DJ Poteet hit his second double of the night to drive in a run. Poteet then scored on a Chris Clare base hit to give the game its final score of 8-2. 

Jake Matthys (5-1) earned the win for Kansas City as he tossed seven innings allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out five and walking only two. 

Sioux City’s pen of Matt Quintana and Danny Hrbek combined to toss the final three innings scoreless. Quintana picked up all six of his outs in his two innings of work via strikeout as the X’s punched out ten batters in the game. 

Sioux City now falls to second place in the South Division for the first time this year as the worst the X’s had been in the standings up to this point had been a tie for first. 

The Explorers will try to retake first place on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 from Kansas City. The X’s send out lefty Brett Adcock (2-4, 4.40) and he will be faced by righty Jose Taveras (0-1, 10.60).