SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 2024
By Austin Thomas
SIOUX FALLS TAKES SIOUXLAND SERIES
CANARIES COME BACK TO BEAT EXPLORERS
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Sioux Falls Canaries (13-7) rode a ninth inning comeback to beat the Sioux City Explorers (8-13) Sunday evening, winning 8-7. Sioux City’s Daniel Montano went 4-4 while Joey Murray and Brandon Brosher combined for two runs allowed over seven innings, but it wasn’t enough as the Canaries scored five in the ninth.
Despite the X’s putting runners on second and third in the first inning, the Explorers’ first run of the game came in the second. After catching a runner stealing in the first, new Sioux City Explorer Dwight Childs, who hadn’t played pro baseball since 2014, provided on the offensive side as well. Childs knocked an RBI double off Sioux Falls’ Tanner Brown, sending home Daniel Lingua and giving the X’s a 1-0 lead. Sioux City’s Daniel Montano followed with an RBI single, allowing Childs to score his first run and extending the lead to 2-0. Later in the inning, Sioux City’s John Nogowski made a statement with a three-run homer, his first dinger of the season, pushing around Chase Harris and Montano and making it 5-0 Explorers.
It took until the fourth inning for the Canaries to score their first run as Sioux City’s defense made a double play in both the second and third innings to keep it 5-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Sioux Falls’ Trevor Achenbach took away the shutout with an RBI sac fly off Sioux City’s Murray, allowing Jordan Barth to come home and cutting the X’s advantage to 5-1.
The Canaries cut further into the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Sioux Falls’ Jordan Barth hit his own RBI sac fly off Sioux City’s Murray, sending home Logan Eickhoff and reducing the X’s lead to 5-2.
In the top of the seventh, Sioux City’s Scott Ota brought the lead back to four runs with his fifth homer of the season, making it 6-2 Explorers with the dinger off Sioux Falls’ Chris Hardin.
In response, Sioux Falls’ Josh Rehwaldt collected an RBI on a fielder’s choice off Sioux City’s Heitor Tokar in the bottom of the eighth, putting across Barth and cutting the X’s favor to 6-3.
The Explorers got some insurance in the top of the ninth thanks to an error from Sioux Falls shortstop Jordan Barth on a grounder from Sioux City’s Zac Vooletich, scoring Lingua and extending the lead to 7-3.
Sioux City’s Kyle Marman relieved Tokar in the bottom of the ninth to lock it down and after a leadoff walk to Sioux Falls’ Trevor Achenbach, Hunter Clanin picked up an RBI triple to cut the Explorers’ lead to 7-4. With one out, Clanin raced home when Derek Maiben reached on an error from Sioux City’s Daniel Lingua, reducing the advantage to 7-5.
Sioux Falls’ Wyatt Ulrich followed with an infield single and forced the X’s to move to the bullpen where Zach Willeman relieved Marman. Willeman walked his first batter, and Sioux Falls’ Liam Spence ripped a double off the left field wall, plating Maiben and Ulrich, knotting it 7-7.
Willeman walked the next batter and Sioux City’s Nate Gercken relieved him with the bases loaded to try and send it to extras. Unfortunately, Gercken walked Sioux Falls’ Spencer Sarringar, pushing home Barth and giving the Canaries a walk-off walk to win 8-7.
The Explorers are off Monday June 3 but will return to action Tuesday night June 4 with game one of a three game series against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo. Game time is set for 7:02 p.m. Ticket packages for the 2024 season are on sale now, including Full and Half-Season Tickets as well as 10, 15 and 25-game Flex Packs. More information is available by calling 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.
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