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ARTICLE COURTESY OF THE SIOUX CITY JOURNAL

SIOUX FALLS | The 20th season of Sioux City Explorers baseball got off to a rousing start here Friday night.

Nick Schumacher pitched seven strong innings and the X’s backed their ace with 10 hits in a 7-3 victory over the Sioux Falls Pheasants in front of 2,623 at Sioux Falls Stadium.

Wayne State College product Schumacher, a 10-game winner last season, gave up five hits – including a couple of solo home runs – struck out four and walked just one.

The Explorers, now 12-8 in season openers, sent 10 men to the plate in a five-run third inning, erasing an early 1-0 deficit.

Jared Bolden gave the Pheasants a short-lived 1-0 advantage, getting one up into the gale-force wind and over the left field fence in the bottom of the second inning.

Sioux Falls starter Mark Michael retired the first two batters he faced in the third, but struggled the rest of the frame.

Yusuke Inoguchi rapped his first base hit in an Explorers uniform before Michael walked Wally Backman Jr. and plunked Ray Serrano. That set the table for designated hitter Tyler Goodro, who cleared the bases with a double off the top of the left field wall.

Kris Sanchez followed with his first X’s hit – a RBI double to left field – and rookie Michael Lang drove in the fifth run with an RBI single.

Sanchez led off the fifth with another two-bagger, this one off reliever Matthew Sommo. He advanced to third on an error by catcher Al Quintana, who had trouble picking up a squibber off the bat of Ryan Priddy, and scored on Lang’s sacrifice fly to right.

Schumacher gave up a solo homer to Quintana leading off the fifth and worked through the seventh, giving way to Andrew Snowdon. The Pheasants got a single tally in the eighth on an RBI double by Mark Shorey.

“Everyday Eddie” De La Cruz made the first of what will be many appearances in the ninth. The sidewinding righty struck out two of the three batters he faced, including Cory Morales to end the contest.

Goodro, Sanchez, Priddy and Inoguchi collected two hits apiece for the X’s, who improved their overall lead in the series – dating back 19 years – to 173-134.

The Explorers won the series with their I-29 rivals 11-5 last season after Sioux Falls dominated to the tune of 14-5 during the 2010 campaign.

Lefty Richard Salazar will get the start on the mound here in tonight’s 7:05 contest.

The Explorers open their home season against the Pheasants Saturday night at Lewis and Clark Park.

Sioux City 7, Sioux Falls 3

SIOUX CITY AB R H BI SIOUX FALLS AB R H BI

Newton cf 5 0 0 0 Kaplan cf 3 0 2 0

Inoguchi lf 5 2 2 0 Anthonsen 2b 4 1 1 0

Backman 3b 2 1 1 1 Nicolas dh 4 0 0 0

Serrano c 4 1 0 0 Guerrero rf 3 0 0 0

Goodro dh 5 1 2 3 Shorey lf 4 0 1 1

Sanchez 1b 5 2 2 1 Lawhorn 3b 4 0 1 0

Priddy ss 4 0 2 0 Bolden 1b 4 1 1 1

Lang rf 3 0 1 2 Quintana c 4 1 1 1

Murphy 2b 3 0 0 0 Morales ss 3 0 0 0

36 7 10 7 33 3 7 3

Sioux City 005 110 000 -- 7 10 0

Sioux Falls 010 010 010 -- 3 7 3

E – Shorey (1), Lawhorn (1), Quintana (1). 2B – Inoguchi (1), Goodro (1), Sanchez 2 (2), Shorey (1). 3B – Backman (1). HR – Bolden (1), Quintana (1). SF – Lang. LOB – Sioux City 9, Sioux Falls 6. DP – Sioux City 1, Sioux Falls 2.

IP H R ER BB SO

SIOUX CITY

Schumacher (W 1-0) 7 5 2 2 1 4

Snowdon 1 2 1 1 0 1

De La Cruz 1 0 0 0 0 2

SIOUX FALLS

Michael (L 0-1) 4 7 6 6 1 0

Sommo 3 3 1 1 2 2

Mertins 2 0 0 0 0 3

WP – Michael, Sommo. HBP – by Schumacher (Kaplan), by Schumacher (Morales). by Michael (Backman), by Michael (Serrano), by Michael (Priddy).

T – 2:21.

A – 2623.