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Sioux City, IA - Sioux Falls was able to win two of three games in the series with the Explorers as they shut out the X’s 3-0. 

Sioux Falls was lead by their starter Miles Nordgren (2-5) as he tossed 7 innings of shut out baseball. He scattered 5 hits and struck out 3 in the ball game. Nordgren had already faced the X’s once before and tossed 2 shut out innings in relief for Sioux Falls against Sioux City back on May 23rd. On the year Nordgren has now tossed 9 shut out innings against the Sioux City Explorers.

While Nordgren was in the game only two Explorers made it to second base and only one made it to third. 

James Dykstra the starter for Sioux City was also good but took the tough luck loss. Dykstra (8-4) went 7 innings, allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, struck out 7 and walked just one. 

Dykstra would allow two runs to score in the third as Jordan Smith lead off with a walk and Jeff Malm crushed his third home run of the year going the opposite way to give Sioux Falls a 2-0 lead.

They would add to that in the fifth when Maxx Garrett doubled to lead off the inning. Dykstra was almost able to get out of the frame unscathed but Mike Hart would come through with a two out single to drive in Garrett and put Sioux Falls up 3-0. 

X’s pitching though was dominant down the stretch tossing four perfect innings to finish the game. Dykstra had a perfect sixth and seventh and Keith Picht who replaced him out of the pen had a perfect eighth and ninth, retiring all six batters that he faced. 

Unfortunately for Sioux City, the Canaries bullpen was equally as good. Nicco Blank allowed a two out double to Michael Lang in the eighth but would leave him stranded at third and Kyle Schepel would pick up his second save of the series and 13th overall on the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. 

Sioux City had it’s magic number to clinch the division down to 1, but the loss to Sioux Falls coupled with Kansas City throttling Winnipeg 18-6 the X’s will have to wait another day to secure the division crown. Ironically enough the Explorers play their next three games in Kansas City against the T-Bones.

That series begins on Sunday as the T-Bones and Explorers will play game one of the series at 5:05. Barrett Astin is on the hill for KC against Ian McKinney for the Explorers.