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Sermo Wins it in Twelve Innings

Sioux City, IA- If you’ve come to MercyOne Field at Lewis and Clark Park looking for dramatic, playoff atmosphere type baseball, then you have come to the right place. The X’s walked it off in 12 innings for the second time in three games as they beat the Cleburne Railroaders 4-3 on Thursday night. 

Cleburne would score a pair in the top of the first to take a quick 2-0 lead. As Chase Simpson scored Angel Reyes with a nine pitch at bat that ended with a double. And John Nester backed that up with a double of his own. 

But that first inning would result in all but one run for Cleburne on the night and half of their hits in the contest. Taylor Jordan would get a no decision but turned in another stellar performance. He would no hit the Railroaders the rest of the way only allowing base runners on a pair of plunked batters and a walk. He finished with seven innings of two run ball, on three hits, with three strikeouts and one walk. 

Jose Sermo cut the deficit in half with his 11th home run of the season, the solo blast went the opposite way to left making it 2-1. 

The X’s jumped out in front in the seventh as they would get a pair aboard with one out. Dylan Kelly hit a hard ground ball to first that the Railroaders first baseman could not handle allowing the tying run to score. A throwing error allowed Kelly to take second and have a runner at third with one out. Kyle Wren then put the X’s on top with a sacrifice fly to center field making it 3-2. 

Cleburne however immediately responded in the eighth inning as Daniel Robertson doubled down the right field line and stole third. Angel Reyes would walk to put runners on the corners. That then brought in Matt Pobereyko. Pobereyko was able to get out of the inning with a tie as Robertson scored on a sacrifice fly to right field tying the game 3-3. 

From there however Matt Pobereyko played hero for Sioux City. He tossed four scoreless innings for the X’s. Allowing just two hits and striking out five. It was by far his longest outing of the season as he even gutted through 65 pitches. He even worked himself out of an eleventh inning jam. As Cleburne had the go ahead run at third base with only one out in the inning and Pobereyko struck out the final two batters he faced to keep it a 3-3 ball game. 

Pobereyko would not earn the win however as that went to Tyler Fallwell who pitched a perfect top of the twelfth inning. 

Sioux City was finally able to win the ball game in the bottom of the twelfth as Bryan Saucedo for Cleburne walked the bases loaded with no outs. Jose Sermo then delivered a fly ball to center field that was deep enough to score Drew Stankiewicz from third and win the ball game. 

Sioux City with the win pulls to within two and a half games of Cleburne for the division lead and keeps pace with the Kansas City T-Bones  for the wild card spot who beat the Lincoln Saltdogs earlier in the day. 

The X’s will now go for their second sweep of the Cleburne Railroaders on Friday night as Pete Tago (3-3, 3.06) for Sioux City takes on Eudis Idrogo (8-4, 4.53) with first pitch set for 7:12 pm.