SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2026
OTANO SHINES AS EXPLORERS TAKE OPENER 3–1
X’S PLATE THREE IN THE SEVENTH
By: Andrew Della Piana
GARY, IN – Sioux City (42–45) opened its series at Gary SouthShore (36-51) with a 3–1 victory on Tuesday night to withstand a late RailCats push.
Otano continued his return to form, delivering seven scoreless frames and allowing just three earned runs across his last three starts (16.2 innings).
He and Gary starter Peyton Long traded zeros early, with Long retiring 14 of the first 15 Explorers and carrying a no‑hitter into the sixth before Zac Vooletich broke it up with a two‑out single to right.
Sioux City finally broke through in the seventh.
The first two batters reached, and on a bunt attempt, D’Shawn Knowles reached on a throwing error by catcher Justin O’Conner, allowing Alberto Osuna to score and break the deadlock. Moments later, Yorman Rodriguez lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Knowles from second on an aggressive send from manager Steve Montgomery, with Wilfredo Gimenez also coming home for a 3–0 lead.
Gary SouthShore made things tense in the ninth.
Kevin Watson Jr. scored on a wild pitch from Rob Hughes, ending the shutout bid, and the RailCats loaded the bases to bring the tying run into scoring position.
Tahnaj Thomas shut the door, inducing a flyout from Osvaldo Martínez to secure the win.
Sioux City continues the three‑game series at Gary SouthShore on Wednesday at 12:00 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 11:30 a.m. on KSCJ 94.9 FM and 1360 AM. Fans can also watch every American Association game this season on the league’s streaming platform at aabaseball.tv. Tickets for all remaining games are available now by calling the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS or online at xsbaseball.com.
Notes from the Booth with DV:
-The Explores trail Sioux Falls by one and a half games and do not own the tie breaker for the final playoff spot.
-Sioux City is 12-10 in August.
-Alberto Osuna is 22-for-48 in his last 12 games and a 12 game hitting streak. (.458) He has six of the 12 games with at least two hits.
-Austin Davis stole three bases giving him 68 on the season. He needs just he is three away from tying for the American Association single season record.
-Sioux City is 2-5 against Gary SouthShore this season.
-Sioux City needs just one more stolen bases to hit 250 for the second straight season.
–ABOUT THE SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS: The Sioux City Explorers are a proud member of the American Association of Professional Baseball in Sioux City, IA. The Explorers play their home games at Security National Bank Field at Lewis & Clark Park. For more information, please visit xsbaseball.com and follow the team on Twitter at @SiouxCityXs and on Facebook at facebook.com/SiouxCityExplorers.
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