WINNIPEG, MB— The Sioux City Explorers (25-14) wasted no time asserting their dominance on Friday night, jumping out early and never looking back in an 8-0 shutout victory over the Winnipeg Goldeyes (17-20). Behind a masterful seven-inning performance from Zach Willeman (4-2) and a relentless offensive attack, the Explorers extended their strong start to the season with a statement win.
Sioux City struck early in the opening frame, quickly loading the bases and capitalizing with a sacrifice fly from Abdiel Layer to open the scoring. Moments later, D’Shawn Knowles broke for second on a steal attempt, drawing a throw that allowed Zac Vooletich to race home uncontested and extend the Explorers’ lead to 2-0.
Willeman dazzled from the jump, setting down the first 16 Goldeyes he faced in dominant fashion. Winnipeg starter Luke Boyd (1-3) settled in after a turbulent first inning, delivering scoreless frames in the second, third and fourth to steady the game.
The Explorers added to their lead in the fifth inning, capitalizing on Josh Day’s RBI single. Sioux City continued to build their cushion in the sixth inning, with Knowles delivering a solo roundtripper and Nick Shumpert adding an RBI infield single to push the advantage to 5-0.
Boyd loaded the bases with one out later in the inning, prompting Winnipeg manager Logan Watkins to call upon his bullpen, summoning 24-year-old right-hander Derrick Cherry in hopes of quelling the threat. The decision failed to pay off, as Day extended the Explorers’ lead to 7-0 with a sharply hit two-run single through the left side.
The Explorers plated an additional run later in the inning, capping the frame with an impressive five-run outburst.
Willeman surrendered his first base runner of the evening with one out in the sixth, issuing a walk to Jacob Robson on a full count. He kept the Goldeyes scoreless and concluded the sixth inning, having thrown 90 pitches.
The righty out of Kent State struck out the first batter he faced in the seventh inning with a 96-mile-per-hour fastball on pitch number 95. The next batter, Matthew Warkinten’s, single spoiled Willeman’s no-hit bid, but he completed seven shutout innings on 111 pitches.
The first arm out of the bullpen for Sioux City was left-hander Ben DeTaeye. The rookie managed to record just one out while issuing three walks, prompting manager Steve Montgomery to make a swift call to the bullpen.
Veteran right-hander Nate Gercken entered in relief, needing just three pitches to induce Max Murphy into a textbook 6-4-3 double play, ending the inning and preserving the zero on the scoreboard. 45-year-old J.D. Scholten came on to pitch the ninth inning and fired a scoreless frame, sealing Zach Willeman’s fourth straight quality start and third straight victory on the bump.
The X’s continue the road trip Saturday and 6:00 p.m. and conclude the series with Winnipeg on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Sioux City returns home on June 24th against the Goldeyes. First pitch for Friday is at 7:00 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.
