SIOUX CITY, Iowa—In a tight showdown between two division contenders, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (45-33) edged the Sioux City Explorers (51-27) by a 7-6 margin. The back-and-forth battle kept the crowd on edge until the final out, with the RedHawks escaping a late rally to secure the win.
After stacking nine hits in 14 at-bats in the previous series against the Milwaukee Milkmen, D’Shawn Knowles didn’t bother to slow down in the series opener against Fargo-Moorhead. He battled RedHawks starter Shane Barringer, and on the eighth pitch of his at-bat, Knowles lined to left, knocking in Henry George for the first run of the game.
Sioux City opened the night four stolen bases shy of tying the American Association record of 213, set by the Milwaukee Milkmen in 2023. Knowles and Josh Day each swiped a bag in the bottom of the first, moving the X’s within two of the record.
The lead didn’t last for long. In the ensuing half-inning, Alec Olund socked Jared Wetherbee’s payoff pitch to left-center field to tie the game at one apiece.
With one out in the top of the third, Juan Fernandez drilled a double down the right-field line and advanced to third when Knowles misplayed the baseball in the corner. The next batter, former Explorer Jose Sermo, put the RedHawks in front for the first time with a sacrifice fly to left.
The back-and-forth aura of the matchup continued in the bottom of the inning. The first four batters reached, and the X’s scored four runs to take a 5-3 lead, capped off by Abdiel Layer’s three-run bomb.
The Explorers, however, could not hold the lead.
Wetherbee walked Brendan Dadson to start the top of the fourth, and then Nicholas Northcut doubled, placing two runners in scoring position. Aidan Byrne stepped into the box next and delivered another double, this time over the head of Knowles in right field. Both runs scored, and the RedHawks moved within one. Byrne moved to third later in the inning on a wild pitch and ultimately scored to tie the ballgame at five.
Fargo-Moorhead held the Explorers off board in the bottom of the frame, as Nate Gecken worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth.
Sioux City put runners at first and second for Abdiel Layer in the bottom of the fifth with Tyler Jeans as the new reliever on the mound. The Arkansas State alum tried to pick Knowles off at second base, but his attempt soared into center field as the Bahamian outfielder sped to the plate to get the lead back.
After his team took the lead, rookie left-hander Ben DeTaeye took over for the 32-year-old veteran over the next two innings. The former Iowa Hawkeye breezed through his outing, punching out two and surrendering one hit.
Brett Matthews took over for DeTaeye in the eighth and loaded the bases with one out for Sermo, which was enough for manager Steve Montgomery as he turned to 25-year-old right-hander Jeremy Goins (2-3) to work his way out of the jam.
Sermo bounced back to the mound and Goins fired to the plate for the second out, but the sacks were still full. A passed ball in the next at bat allowed the RedHawks to even the game at six. Goins walked Michael Hallquist to reload the bases, but he retired Olund to end the disappointing frame.
RedHawks manager Chris Coste brought in Colten Davis (4-6) in the next half-inning and he struck out the side, keeping the game tied 6-6 heading into the ninth.
Goins stayed on the mound and walked the leadoff batter Dadson to start the ninth. He advanced to second on a wild pitch three pitches later heading to third after tagging on Northcut’s fly to center.
Byrne stood in the right-handed batter’s box and squeezed the go-ahead run home as the RedHawks took their first lead since the third inning.
Garrett Alexander came on for Fargo-Moorhead in the last of the ninth and walked his first batter, pinch-hitting Luis Toribio. He moved to second base after Fernandez’s back pick to first base sailed down the right-field line.
Steve Montgomery elected to use Austin Drury to pinch-run for Toribio as the next batter Austin Davis blooped a single into shallow left. The skipper held Drury at third as Davis took the extra base on the throw to the plate, putting the tying run at first and the winning run at second.
The rally stalled as Alexander retired both George and Vooletich to win the game. The loss and Kansas City’s defeat of Sioux Falls dropped the Explorers’ lead in the division down to five games.
The Explorers continue this three-game weekend series against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks on Saturday. First pitch is set for 6:05 pm with the series finale on Sunday at 4:05 pm. 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.
Notes from the Booth with DV:
-The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks now lead the head to head 4-3
-Fargo scored their final two runs without a hit aided by four walks, a hit by pitch, a pair of wild pitches and a passed ball.
-The X’s lead in the West dropped to five games over Fargo and KC yet still have the best record in the league at 51-28.
-After issuing just one walk the last 18 innings Sioux City walked seven in the game.
– X’s are 25-13 at home this season.
-D’Shawn Knowles has gone 11-for-14 with seven RBI in the last four games.
-Knowles has at least two hits in eight of his last 12 games and stole a base for the 11th straight game.
-Sioux City now has 211 stolen bases and needs just 3 more to break the league single season record.
-Pitcher Austin Drury was used as a pinch runner, the first pitcher to be used on the bases this year.
