SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2023
By Dan Vaughan Jr.
X’S BEAT GARY IN IMPRESSIVE FASHION
SIOUX CITY ENDS SKID
SIOUX CITY, IA – The Sioux City Explorers (14-17) began the day in a five-game losing streak, trying to salvage the final game of the series with the Gary SouthShore RailCats (14-18). The team received word that scheduled starter Francys Peguero would not make his start, meaning they would turn to the bullpen to get the job done. The X’s also got the news that the team had signed former Big League bat John Nogoski. Both pieces of news were big parts of the evening’s 6-3 win for Sioux City.
Heitor Tokar (1-1) was pushed into the rotation for the Explorers, and he would deliver five key innings in the win. Tokar would hold Gary to three runs on four hits with four strikeouts over four innings, eating up important innings for the X’s.
Sioux City would grab an early 1-0 lead on an RBI double from Delvin Zinn off RailCats starter Edward Cuello (1-3) that scored Tyler Rando in the bottom of the second. The RailCats would be sent down in order in the first two innings before a one-out single by Thomas Greely off Tokar in the third inning.
In the fifth inning, the RailCats would take the lead in a classic “RailCattin” inning. Victor Nova led off with a walk and would immediately steal second base, followed by Will Decker who would single to put runners at first and third. Tokar then induced a ground ball to first for the first out of the inning, holding the runners in place. Daniel Lingua would bring home the tying run on a sac fly to center to even the game at one. Gio Diaz would walk, but a wild pitch on ball four from Tokar moved Decker to third to put runners at the corners. With Francisco Del Valle batting, Tokar was called for a balk, scoring Decker from third and moving the runners up a bag to make it 2-1 in favor of the RailCats. De Valle reached on an infield single to give the RailCats a 3-1 lead to score Diaz. Tokar would strike out Jesus Marriaga with runners in scoring position to end the inning.
Sioux City would go to work on Cuello in the home half of the fifth inning. Miguel Sierra hit a double to left with one out, and following a Cuello strikeout of Chase Harris, Jake Ortega would single to score Sierra to cut the lead to 3-2. Nogowski would then double to put runners at second and third. Vincent Fernandez would hit a three-run home run to right, his 10th of the season, to give the Explorers the lead they would never relinquish at 5-3. Sioux City picked up a sac fly RBI from Sierra an inning later to up the lead to 6-3.
The Sioux City pen would respond with four combined shutout innings from Brandon Brosher, Kent Hasler and Sean Rackoski. Hasler would work two innings with four strikeouts while Rackoski would earn the save in a 1-2-3 ninth.
The X’s offense top four spots with Nogowski in the mix would combine to go five-for-16 with the three RBI on the home run from Fernandez to also provide a spark at the plate. Zinn added a two-hit night as well and an RBI in the win. Rando would also extend his hitting streak to nine games.
The Explorers will hit the road for a three-city nine-game road trip beginning tomorrow night (June 16) against the Saltdogs at Lincoln. Game time is set for 7:05 from Haymarket Park. Sioux City returns home Tuesday, June 27 for the first game of a three-game series with the Sioux Falls Canaries. Tickets for the season can be purchased online at XSBaseball.com, in person at the Lewis and Clark Park Box Office or by calling 712-277-WINS. You can catch all the X’s action on aabaseball.tv and on radio at KSCJ 94.9 FM and 1360 AM.