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X’s Finish the First Half of the Season at .500

Fargo, ND  - The first 50 games of the 100 game 2019 regular season schedule have been played and the X’s have won 25 games, and have lost 25 games which was epitomized by their double header split with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, as Fargo took game one 11-5, and Sioux City taking game two 5-3.

Game One

The final score ended up being deceiving as the Explorers jumped out to a second inning 3-0 lead. Sebastian Zawada drove in a run to get the X’s on the board and consecutive two out singles by Kyle Wren and Michael Lang gave the X’s their three run lead. 

Fargo-Moorhead would answer back in the bottom half of the inning however. After a lead off walk TJ Bennett launched one over the right field wall to cut the X’s lead to 3-2. Brennan Metzger singled with the bases loaded to tie the game 3-3 and Devan Ahart was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give Fargo a 4-3 lead. 

Sioux City tied it 4-4 in the next half inning as Jose Sermo scored on a Drew Stankiewicz single to right field.

That’s how the score stayed till the sixth inning. Fargo would score seven runs in the sixth with most of them coming on one swing of the bat by Chris Jacobs whose grand slam put Fargo up 8-4. Fargo would tack on another three runs in the inning. And a RBI double from Sermo in the seventh gave the game its final score 11-5. 

Game Two

The X’s were lead by a strong start from Carlos Sierra who was in control of the game from the start. Sierra (2-0) earned his second win going 5 2/3 innings, allowing three un earned runs on just four hits, walking three and striking out five. At one point Sierra retired nine straight RedHawks and allowed just two hits through the first five innings. 

Sioux City would tack runs on with two out hits. It began with Stankiewicz in the second who battled with Taylor Bloye for 12 pitches and eventually got a two out single to center field. He would steal second and score on a Sebastian Zawada single to set the tone for the X’s and go up 1-0. 

Another two runs scored in the third, Nate Samson reached on an infield single, stole second and on the play reached third on a throwing error, eventually scoring on a Jose Sermo ground out. Again with two outs Adam Sasser doubled down the left field line, and would score on a Dexture McCall single to make it 3-0 X’s. 

The Explorers added two more runs in the sixth as with two outs and no one on Kyle Wren singled, Lang brought him home with a double to left and Nate Samson brought Lang home with a single giving the X’s some much needed insurance runs 5-0. 

The Explorers scored four of their five runs in the game with two outs in an inning. 

Fargo would make the game interesting. With two on and two out a high chopper was hit to short, Samson’s throw to first was wide of the bag and allowed a run to score and the inning to continue. A triple from Leo Pina scored two more runs and knocked Carlos Sierra from the game. Nathan Gercken was called upon and was able to get the Explorers out of the inning and Matt Pobereyko tossed a scoreless ninth with a pair of strikeouts to pick up his 13th save of the season. 

The X’s will have a quick turn around as they take on the RedHawks in the rubber game of the series at 12:30 pm on Thursday.