712.277.WINS (9467)

SIOUX FALLS, SD - The Explorers beat the Sioux Falls Canaries tonight 10-4 to finish off the three game sweep of the birds. 

Sioux City jumped out to a five run lead in the first inning and never looked back. The Explorers sent ten men to the plate in the first. Luis Durango would start it off with a base hit, Michael Lang would be hit by a pitch and Jay Austin reaching on an error by the third baseman loaded the bases for Nate Samson who delivered a 2 run base hit. Jay Baum would drive home Jay Austin with a base hit Daniel Jackson would reach on a fielders choice. With runners at second and third Dexture McCall would drive home Baum from 3rd with an infield base hit with the ball stopping on the 3rd base line to stay in fair territory to make it a 5-0 lead for the X’s. 

The Canaries would answer in the bottom half of the inning when Chris Grayson hit a 2 run opposite field home run to cut the X’s lead to 5-2.

Canaries starter Joe Bircher would settle down after his rough first inning, at one point retiring ten straight Explorers batters and not allowing a hit for three innings. He ended up with the loss (0-2) giving up six runs in five innings, allowing seven hits, while striking out four and walking one. 

Sioux Falls would cut into the lead again in the fourth. Jabari Henry lead off with a double. After X’s starter Taylor Jordan retired the next two batters, Blake Schmit would drive Henry home with a two out single to make it 5-3 Sioux City. 

Taylor Jordan picked up his second win in an X’s uniform (2-0) pitching a very efficient five and two-thirds innings, allowing four runs on six hits, striking out seven and walking two. Jordan lived in the strike zone throwing 63 of his 84 pitches for strikes. 

The X’s would score once in the fifth, Nate Samson reached on a walk and scored on a Dexture McCall base hit to make it 6-4 Sioux City. 

The bullpen was once again dominant for Sioux City tossing 3 and a thirds innings of shut out baseball. Manager, Steve Montgomery, used four different arms out of the pen; Tyler Fallwell, Parker Markel, Patrick Schuster and Ryan Flores to finish off the Canaries with Flores picking up his first save of the season. The Sioux City bullpen kept Sioux Falls scoreless in this series through 11 1/3 innings while striking out 15 Canaries. 

The Explorers would tack on four more runs in the ninth highlighted by Jay Baum’s bases loaded two run double down the left field line to blow the game open. 

The X’s smacked 15 hits in this one with the only extra base hit being Baum’s ninth inning double. In the series the Explorers scored 25 runs on 36 hits with only 5 of those hits going for extra bases. 

Sioux City now owns the best record in the league and will take on the Cleburne Railroaders on Friday night in the home opener with first pitch scheduled for 7:05. 

Order your tickets for the 2018 home opener on Friday, May 25^th by stopping down to the stadium box office at Mercy Field at Lewis & Clark Park, online at www.xsbaseball.com, or by calling 712-277-WINS (9467).  Group rates available for groups of 20 or more for all (50) home games on the 2018 schedule!