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Sioux City, IA - On a night when Michael Lang set a franchise record for career hits with hit number 530 in an Explorers uniform. The X’s clobbered the Railroaders 13-1 en route to a four game sweep. 

Michael Lang who owns career franchise records such as triples (30) and runs (361), and less glamorous ones such as hit by pitches (42) and strikeouts (382). Added another record to his resume in this ball game. Lang entered this game three hits away from breaking the Explorers franchise record for hits in a career and in true Michael Lang fashion got all three hits on balls that never left the infield. Lang broke the record with a ground ball to first base that he was able to leg out giving him 530 hits in his career passing Nolan Lane who had played for the Explorers back in their inaugural season in 1993 and six seasons total to 1998. As Lane had 529 hits as the franchise record for 20 years. 

Lang has a chance to pass Lane in a few other categories this season, the most meaningful one being games as Lang could pass Lane if he plays in 34 of the Explorers remaining 37 games this season. As of right now the record is held by Lane with 469 games played for the Sioux City Explorers. Michael Lang to this point has started in all 63 games for the Explorers. 

Nolan Lane is expected to be in attendance at the game on Friday night versus the Lincoln Saltdogs as there will be a special ceremony held to commemorate the breaking of the record. 

In the game itself the X’s raced out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first as the first three men to the plate reached. Nate Samson drove in the runs first game with an RBI single and Jay Baum brought home a pair of runs with a double and he would score on a David Kerian single. 

The X’s rallied again in the third as the first five men would reach base. Once again Jay Baum brought home two runs with a base hit. He would score on an error by the Cleburne first baseman on a ground ball and Dexture McCall and David Kerian would both score as well in the inning giving Sioux City a 9-0 lead. 

Sioux City would score runs in the next three straight innings, including an RBI single by Baum in the fourth who finished the night going 5-5 with 5 RBI’s bringing his league leading RBI total up to 61. Jose Sermo would launch his team leading 12th home run of the year a two run shot in the fifth. And David Kerian doubled to lead off the sixth and came home on a Daniel Jackson base hit making it 13-0 Sioux City as the Explorers offense pounded out 20 hits in the contest. 

That was obviously more than enough for Explorers starter Ian McKinney (1-0) as he picked up his first win in an Explorers uniform dominating the Railroaders through 6 shut out innings, giving up only 2 hits, walking three and striking out 11. The 11 K’s were the most by an Explorers starting pitcher this season. 

Cleburne tacked on a run in the seventh against Dominic Topoozian but after that RBI double by Trevor Sealey to make it 13-1, Topoozian was lights out retiring the next eight batters that he would face as he went the last 3 innings for Sioux City striking out 5 in the process and earning his first save in an Explorers uniform. 

Sioux City is now 9-1 versus the Railroaders this season and in the four game series with Cleburne outscored the Railroaders 36-7 and in the process Sioux City pitchers struck out a ridiculous total of 50 railroaders while only walking 7.

Sioux City will now host the Lincoln Saltdogs for a weekend series with Friday night’s contest being a completion of a suspended game from July 15th with that ball game beginning at 6:05 at Mercy Field at Lewis and Clark Park and will be played to the completion of the nine scheduled innings. A thirty minute intermission will separate the make up game from the regularly scheduled game which will be a seven inning contest between Sioux City and Lincoln.