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Sioux City, IA - Trey McNutt dominated the Explorers tonight, en route to his first win of the season as the RedHawks defeated the X’s by a score of 5-3. 

The RedHawks gave McNutt an early lead that he would never relinquish. Brennan Metzger and Maikol Gonzalez began the game with each of them getting on with a base hit. Devan Ahart would fly out to deep center field allowing both runners to tag on the play putting them at second and third with only one out. Keury De La Cruz grounded out to second base to bring home a run and Leobaldo Pina singled to drive home another making it 2-0 Hawks. 

The X’s would respond in the second with Jose Sermo hitting a solo home run off of Trey McNutt the eighth of the year allowed by McNutt the most in the league. That cut the deficit for Sioux City in half making it 2-1 Fargo. 

James Dykstra would settle down after his tumultuous first inning retiring the next 14 batters he faced. Setting down the RedHawks 1-2-3 for four straight innings, from the second to the fifth. McNutt would also go on a streak of retiring hitters. Retiring the next 11 he faced after giving up the solo homer to Jose Sermo.

Fargo would come back though in the sixth. Maikol Gonzalez reached on a double and then Devan Ahart reached on a walk. Dykstra was charged with an error when he threw the ball into center field on an attempted pick off attempt at second. Keury De La Cruz was then intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. It almost worked when Pina hit a grounder to short but it was too slow for the X’s to turn two and get out of the inning. They got the force out at second but Pina beat the throw at first scoring a run. Tim Colwell picked up an RBI on a base hit against his former team to make it 4-1 Fargo after six innings. 

Dykstra (5-1) who took the loss ended up going 7 innings tonight allowing the 4 runs on 6 hits, walking and striking out 2. This was Dykstra’s first loss of the season and the first time the X’s lost a game started by Dykstra. 

Ryan Horstman would come on in relief for Dykstra in the eighth and allow a run to the RedHawks on 3 hits. Pina drove in Ahart with a single picking up his third RBI of the game. 

McNutt carried that 4-1 score into the eighth inning, He had 2 outs in the eighth when Dexture McCall walked on a close 3-2 pitch. Dylan Kelly then singled, Kelly was the only Explorer with a multi hit game. Jordan Edgerton then brought both home with a 2-run double into the right center field gap. Fargo then brought in their closer Randy McCurry to pick up the 4 out save. McCurry got Durango to ground out to end the 2 out rally for Sioux City. 

McNutt (1-2) picked up the win, allowing 3 runs, on 4 hits, walking just 1 and striking out 5. The 5 hits that he held the X’s to was the second lowest total of the season for Sioux City. 

Geoff Broussard struck out the side in the ninth for Sioux City. The X’s would bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth but Sermo would pop out to the short stop to end the game. 

Sioux City is now 23-8 on the season after the loss, they will take on the RedHawks in game two on Wednesday night with first pitch at 7:05 with the X’s tossing righty Taylor Jordan and Fargo going with lefty Sebastian Kessay.