SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2024
By Dan Vaughan Jr.
X’S EXPLODE AT THE PLATE TO CLAIM SERIES WIN
SIOUX CITY CLUBS 15 HITS
GARY, IN – The Sioux City Explorers (5-7) pounded out 15 hits on the way to a 12-9 win over the Gary SouthShore RailCats (4-8) to claim the series win on Wednesday night at the Steel Yard. The win also earned a split of the six game road trip.
The Railcats jumped on Explorers starter Antonio Velez for a pair of runs in the home half of the first inning only to see the X’s get a run back on a double in the second off the bat of Zac Vooletich. The run was the first allowed by Railcats starter Chris Erwin this season. Gary would add two more runs on a two-run home run in the bottom of the second off Velez by Guillermo Quintana to take a 4-1 lead.
Sioux City would come back and plate a run in the third and fourth inning to cut the lead to 4-3 but Gary got another homer off the bat of Marcos Gonzalez in the fifth to lead the game 5-3.
In the sixth Sioux City got a leadoff walk from Danel Lingua against Railcats reliever Franklin Perez. Perez retired John Nogowski on a hard-hit ball back to the mound for the first out of the inning. On the very next pitch Scott Ota hit a two-run shot into the X’s pen to tie the game at five. Nick Shumpert singled up the middle to keep the offense rolling. Shumpert would swipe second and come home on an RBI double from Daniel Perez to grab the lead for Sioux City. Perez would get out of the inning with the X’s holding a 6-5 lead.
The Railcats would come right back and tie the game on a Quintana single off Velez with two outs in the sixth. Velez left the game going 5.2 surrendering six earned runs on 10 hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Brandon Brosher picked up the final out for the X’s as the game went the seventh tied at six.
Sioux City took control of the game in the top of the seventh. Delvin Zinn led off with a double off Joan Valdez of the Railcats. Lingua followed with a triple to score Zinn and Nogowski hammered a double down the left field line to score Lingua to give the X’s an 8-6 lead. Brosher would work a 1-2-3 half inning following the stretch at The Steel Yard.
The Explorers poured it on in the top of the eighth. Shumpert singled to start the top of the inning off the Railcats Josh Smith the fifth reliever of the eventual six used by Gary. Daniel Perez reached on a bunt single to put runners at first and second. Chase Harris would also reach on a bunt single to load the bases. Vooletich reached on an error at second score one run and was followed by Zinn who drove in two more runs and it was 11-6. Nogowski capped of the scoring on the night with an RBI single to make to make it 12-6 in favor of the X’s.
Gary would make things interesting with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth from former Explorer Miguel Sierra to cut the lead to 12-8 off Brosher. In the ninth Zach Willeman came in with a four-run lead but the Railcats would score one run on a fielders choice and get two more runners on with two outs batting the tying run trailing 12-9. Kyle Marman came into the game and was able to retire pinch hitter Jacob Bockelie on a pop fly to short to notch the save his first. Brosher (1-1) was the winning pitcher in relief while Valdez (1-1) was charged with the loss for the Railcats.
The Explorers have an off-day Thursday May 23 before beginning a three game series Friday May 24 against the Chicago Dogs part of a six game homestand. 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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