SIOUX CITY, Iowa—The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (47-34) stifled the Sioux City Explorers (52-29) in a 4-1 victory, closing out the series at Lewis and Clark Park. The win tightened the gap in the West Division race to five games as the two rivals prepare to continue their head-to-head battle in Fargo this week.
The Explorers fell behind two batters into the game. Hunter Clanin singled to open the matchup, and then Angel Macuare (2-1) served up an 0-1 slider and Michael Hallquist was over it, blasting it over the center-field wall. The four-bagger marked Hallquist’s fifth extra-base hit of the series.
Henry George countered in the following half-inning, launching his fifth home run of the season out to right field to cut the lead in half.
Fargo-Moorhead upped its lead back to two when Nicholas Northcut doubled off the wall in left field, knocking in Hallquist. The double was the RedHawks’ 12th extra-base hit of the series.
Over the middle stage of the contest, offense was hard to come by. Jose Sermo extended Fargo-Moorhead’s lead even further with an RBI double down the left-field line with two outs in the fifth inning.
Pitching with a three-run cushion, RedHawks starter Angelo Cabral (2-0) dominated after allowing George’s big fly. Cabral loaded the bases in the bottom half of the fifth with just one out and the top of the lineup looming. The 24-year-old right-hander wriggled out of the frame like a seasoned veteran, punching out Austin Davis on three pitches and forcing George to roll over to second base to end the threat.
Rookie left-hander Ben DeTaeye was one of the few bright spots for the Explorers in the series finale. The former Iowa Hawkeye worked through scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth, finishing the series with four shutout innings giving up one hit.
Sioux City made the game interesting in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the dish with one out. A wild pitch moved runners into second and third with one out for Davis. The former TCU Horned Frog rolled over shortstop to plate Torin Montgomery, bringing up George as the last hope for the Explorers.
Colten Davis forced the all-star outfield to fly out to right, ending the game. With the loss, the Explorers dropped just their seventh series of the season and are now a disappointing 5-5 over their last ten games. This stretch of six consecutive games between the RedHawks and the X’s shifts to Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo.
The Explorers are off tomorrow and start a new three-game road series against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks Tuesday. First pitch for all three games is set for 7:02 p.m. with the series finale on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. Ticket packages for the 2025 season are on sale now, including Full and Half-Season Tickets as well as 10-, 15-, and 25-game Flex Packs. For more information, please call the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS. Stay tuned to the Explorers’ social media channels and the club’s website, xsbaseball.com, for all our news and updates.