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Grand Prairie, TX - The Explorers bats were as hot as the weather in their first game of a 6 game road trip to the Lone Star State as they defeat the Texas Airhogs by a score of 9-4. 

The Explorers would get on the board in the second after a lead off walk by Jose Sermo. Sermo then stole second and third base. He was then driven in by a Jay Baum single. Baum stole second himself before Dylan Kelly drove him home with a triple. Kelly then scored on a Luis Durango base hit to make it 3-0 Sioux City. 

The Airhogs would score a run in the second when Luo Jinjun singled and stole second and scored on a Lu Zhenghong base hit. To make it 3-1 X’s. Texas would load the bases on Sioux City starter Luis Mateo with only one out in the inning. But Mateo would get Dillon Thomas to ground into a 4-6-3 inning ending double play to end the scoring threat and to keep the X’s ahead 3-1. 

Mateo would pick up the win tonight (2-1) going 5.2 innings, allowing 3 runs, on 6 hits, walking and striking out 4. With that inning ending double play he would go on to retire 10 straight Airhogs all the way to the sixth inning. 

His teammates would help the cause by scoring 3 times in the 6th. Jose Sermo reached on a base hit and stole second. Jay Baum drove him home with a double down the right field line. Dylan Kelly would walk to put two on. A Daniel Jackson single drove in Jay Baum, and Luis Durango’s base hit scored Dylan Kelly making it 6-1 X’s. 

But the Airhogs would answer again in the sixth after Stewart Ijames lead off with a walk and then scored on a Chen Chen double. Chen would advance to third and score on a Luan Chen Chen sacrifice fly. Cutting the Sioux City lead to 6-3. 

But Sioux City would put together their third three run rally of the night in the seventh. Jay Austin lead off with an infield base hit, He would advance to second and steal third during a Jose Sermo at bat. Dexture McCall would drive in Austin with a double down the left field line. Baum would pick up his third hit and third RBI of the night with a base hit to drive in Sermo. And McCall would score on an error by the second baseman. Making it 9-3 X’s. 

The X’s bullpen effort of Eric Karch, Geoff Broussard and Ryan Horstman would allow only one more run in the next three innings with that run coming in the bottom of the ninth to make the final score 9-4. 

Sioux City with the win improves to 11-4 on the season and will play game 2 from Grand Prairie on Saturday with first pitch at 7:05.