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Zach Hedges Twirls Eight Scoreless, Clare Double Wins It

Sioux City, IA (July 29, 2021) – Behind the right arm of Zach Hedges the Sioux City Explorers took the rubber game from the Winnipeg Goldeyes by a final score of 2-0. 

Hedges (6-4) completely shut down the Winnipeg Goldeyes offense from start to finish. He tossed a season high eight innings and collected a season high six strikeouts. He walked only one and gave up five singles in his shut out performance. 

Winnipeg had multiple runners on base just twice when Hedges was on the mound and he used three double plays as his defense was sharp behind him. 

For the most part the veteran was going toe to toe with Dylan Burns (0-1). The Goldeyes rookie was making the first start of his professional career and he matched Hedges through the first four innings. He eventually was saddled with the tough luck loss as he surrendered two runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts. 

Those two runs came in the bottom of the fifth as Sioux City got a lead off single and a walk to put two men aboard. After a pop out and a strikeout it was Chris Clare who gave the Explorers their only runs of the night, tucking a line drive just fair down the left field line scoring both base runners to give Sioux City a 2-0 lead. 

It stayed that way until the ninth, after Hedges left the game Sioux City turned the game over to the bullpen, Max Kuhns delivered the first two outs of the ninth inning with a strikeout and a ground out but after he allowed a single to Max Murphy to bring the powerful Kyle Martin to the plate, Steve Montgomery went to the lefty in the bullpen Jose Velez who needed only a single pitch to retire Martin and end the game to claim his first save of the season. 

The X’s with the win now have four shutout victories this season, they improve to a 3-4 record in rubber games and to 5-1 during this important home stand. 

That home stand rolls on, on Friday night with the Gary SouthShore RailCats coming to town. First pitch on Friday night is at 7:05 pm with southpaw Patrick Ledet (5-3, 6.42) on the mound for Sioux City.