SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2024
By Austin Thomas
SIOUX CITY EXPLODES IN EXTRAS
EXPLORERS SCORE A PERFECT 10 IN THE TENTH TO BEAT MONARCHS
KANSAS CITY, Kan. –It was the first game of a four-game series between two divisional rivals Monday night as the Sioux City Explorers (34-39) took down the Kansas City Monarchs (36-37) 18-8 in their hunt to leapfrog them in the standings for a playoff spot. It took extra innings for the game to decide a victor, but the Explorers scored 10 runs in the tenth inning, thanks to a grand slam and a three-run shot to take down the Monarchs. Sioux City had four home runs in the game, including two from Daniel Montano, while they scored a season-high 18 runs.
Both Sioux City starter Austin Drury and Kansas City starter Hunter McMahon went through the first two inning scoreless, but the X’s broke onto the scoreboard in the top of the third. After Sioux City’s Zac Vooletich led off the frame with a walk, Jake Ortega sent him home with an RBI single off Kansas City’s McMahon, giving the Explorers a 1-0 lead. After that, John Nogowski hit a sac fly with the bases loaded, driving in Ortega and making it 2-0. The next plate appearance, Sioux City’s Scott Ota put a cap on the inning with a three-run bomb off McMahon, extending the lead to 5-0.
In the top of the fifth, Sioux City’s Daniel Montano extended the Explorers advantage to 6-0 with a solo shot crushed to deep right-center off Kansas City’s McMahon.
The Monarchs replied with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, starting with an RBI double from Kansas City’s Frankie Tostado before Isiah Gilliam had an RBI single off Sioux City’s Drury, cutting the X’s lead to 6-2.
The lead continued to shrink in the bottom of the sixth as Kansas City’s Carson Maxwell hit an RBI single off Sioux City’s Drury, making it a 6-3 game. Sioux City’s Braunny Munoz relieved him after that with nobody out and runners on first and second, and the Monarchs scored one more on a Lorenzo Cedrola fielder’s choice RBI, cutting the X’s lead to 6-4.
In the bottom of the seventh, Sioux City’s Daniel Lingua pulled a two-out walk from Kansas City reliever Connor Curlis, then stole two bases before coming home on a wild pitch, extending the Explorers’ lead to 7-4. Sioux City’s Montano then doubled before John Nogowski sent him home with an RBI single, making it an 8-4 game.
The Monarchs responded in the bottom of the eighth with Kansas City’s Ross Adolph hitting a two-RBI single off Sioux City’s Munoz, cutting the X’s lead to 8-6. Sioux City’s Brandon Brosher then relieved Munoz, but the Monarchs were able to add another on an RBI groundout from Kansas City’s Frankie Tostado, bringing their deficit to 8-7. The Monarchs then put runners on first and second, and Kansas City’s Travis Swaggerty came up big with a game-tying RBI single off Sioux City’s Brosher, knotting it 8-8.
Neither team scored in the ninth, sending it to extras where Sioux City’s Nogowski changed the game with a three-run shot, giving the Explorers an 11-8 lead. The X’s then loaded the bases, and Sioux City’s Cam Cannon, Zac Vooletich and Jake Ortega drew back-to-back-to-back RBI walks, extending the lead to 14-8. Sioux City’s Montano followed up with a grand slam, making it 18-8 and putting the game firmly out of reach.
The Explorers will continue their seven-game road trip with a doubleheader against the Kansas City Monarchs in Kansas City, Kansas. The first pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. at Legends Field for the first of two seven inning games. For more information or for media requests, please feel free to reach out at 817-739-3693. Tickets for the season can be purchased online as XSBaseball.com, in person at the Lewis and Clark Park Box Office or by calling 712-277-WINS.
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