X’S ALMOST PULL OFF UPSET OF THE SEASON
Winnipeg With Miraculous Ninth Inning to Avoid Loss
Winnipeg, MB (August 4, 2021) – Despite the depleted roster the X’s carried with them to Winnipeg for the Goldeyes true home opening series, the Sioux City Explorers almost did the unthinkable and came oh so close to winning a game in the three game series. However it was a walk off grand slam off the bat of Dakota Conners that capped off a ninth inning comeback for the Fish to beat the Explorers 11-7.
The Explorers for much of the game were the better team on the diamond and proved it early as they jumped out to a 3-0 first inning lead. A Brendon Dadson sac fly scored Michael Lang who reached on a lead off walk. Jacob Bockelie drove home a run with a ground out and a two out base hit from Jordan Garr made it a 3-0 X’s lead.
In the third it was Dustyn Macaluso who homered to lead off the inning and Put Sioux City up 4-0.
Holding that lead for the X’s was Marc-Andre Habeck who took a no decision although the native of Winnipeg, pitched brilliantly against his hometown team. He tossed four and one-third innings of scoreless baseball allowing six hits and no walks with one strikeout.
The Explorers tacked on a run in the sixth to make it 5-0 on a two out double from Dadson to score Lang from first who scored three runs for the X’s.
Winnipeg used three straight walks to open up the sixth inning to plate five runs in the frame to tie the game at five.
But the scrappy rag tag bunch of Explorers wouldn’t roll over for the Goldeyes. They instead fought back in the eighth with a pair of runs. Brendon Dadson came up with his third RBI of the night on a base hit to left to score Lang giving Sioux City a 7-6 lead. Again with two outs the X’s used a double to score a run as Jacob Bockelie drove Dadson home to make it 7-5 Sioux City.
Winnipeg’s Nate Antone (2-1) picked up the victory in relief as he recorded four outs all by strikeout.
The Explorers came oh so close to pulling off the upset as they ended up just two outs shy of shocking the Goldeyes in front of their home crowd. After a strikeout to start off the inning it was four straight walks and a wild pitch that tied the game at seven. Dakota Connors then hit a grand slam over the left field fence to win the game for Winnipeg 11-7.
Taking the loss for Sioux City was Keaton Sullivan (0-1).
Sioux City and Winnipeg will wrap up the three game series on Thursday from Shaw Park, with first pitch set for 12:05 pm, neither team has announced a starting pitcher.