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SIOUX FALLS | Jason Jarvis blanked the Sioux Falls Canaries on one hit over the first seven innings and the Sioux City Explorers’ bullpen finished off the shutout as the X’s rang up a 3-0 American Association victory here Friday night.

On a night when the X’s squandered countless scoring opportunities, the clutch pitching came in handy as Sioux City spoiled the home opener for the I-29 rival Canaries and a Sioux Falls Stadium crowd of 3,521.

Backing up a 5-3 win over the Birds in a Thursday night season opener at Lewis and Clark Park, the Explorers pushed runners into scoring position in all nine innings, stranding 13 to just two for the Canaries, who will also host the two remaining games in the series at 7:05 tonight and 1:05 p.m. Sunday.

Clinging to just a 1-0 lead, Sioux City gained some breathing room when Peter Barrows delivered a two-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning against rookie reliever Chris Green.

It was one of 10 hits for the X’s to just two for Sioux Falls, which was also charged with five errors on the night.

The 25-year-old Jarvis, who set an Arizona State freshman record for saves before leaving school in his sophomore year, retired the first nine batters he faced, dueling Sioux Falls newcomer Jordan Whatcott to a scoreless deadlock through the first three innings.

One out into the top of the fourth, though, Bryan Pounds reached Whatcott for a standup double and held his base as Leugim Barroso followed with a grounder that was misplayed by third baseman Tim Pahuta.

After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Whatcott fielded Adrian Martinez’ tapper in front of the plate and threw wildly to his catcher, allowing the game’s first run to score.

Rookie second baseman Anthony Kaskadden, getting his first start, bounced into a rally-killing double play and then booted a leadoff grounder by Nick Van Stratten to lead off the bottom of the fourth.

It was the only error in the season’s first two games for the X’s, who erased Van Stratten on a double play just ahead of a J.P. Ramirez double that wound up being the only hit surrendered by Jarvis.

Meanwhile, Kaskadden later made a pair of clutch fielding gems and stroked what looked certain to be an RBI single in the sixth inning, only to have the fleet Leugem Barroso thrown out at the plate by rightfielder Chandler Laurent.

Needing only 66 pitches, Jarvis faced just 22 batters in seven innings, one over the minimum, before X’s Manager Stan Cliburn turned to his set-up man, Cody Satterwhite, a former second-round major league draft pick out of Ole Miss.

Jared Clark greeted Satterwhite with a single into right field, but it would be the only other hit for the Canaries as Satterwhite retired the next three batters in succession. Closer Chris Bodishbaugh picked up his second save in as many nights,

logging a 1-2-3 ninth on just 11 pitches.

Pounds finished with two doubles while Eliezer Mesa and Yusuke Inoguchi also had two hits on the night for Sioux City, which sends out rookie righthander Andy Noga tonight to face lefty Adam Champion, a former Houston Astros farmhand.

Article provided by Sioux City Journal Staff