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Tago Throws First Complete Game Shut Out of Career 

Sioux City, IA - In the thirteenth and final game of a long home stand the Sioux City Explorers gave the fans a game to remember as Pete Tago twirls his first professional complete game shut out and the Explorers win their tenth straight game 5-0, finishing off a sweep of the Texas Airhogs. 

Pete Tago (2-1) was completely dominant in only his fourth start of the season for Sioux City. Going the distance and allowing only three singles and no walks the entire game. He faced only 29 batters and struck out 12 Airhogs. Tago needed just 105 pitches to complete the shut out with 77 of them going for strikes. He never struck out the side in an inning but did have four separate two strike out innings and had six perfect frames. 

The 12 strikeouts tie a season high for an Explorers starting pitcher. And Tago now in his last three starts for Sioux City has allowed just a single run in the last 21 innings pitched. Tago set down the Airhogs lineup in order the first time around and after allowing the first single of the game retired the next 13 straight batters he faced. 

Sioux City gave him all the run support he would need in the first inning. Kyle Wren reached on an error by the short stop and after an out was recorded on the following hitter the Explorers began a hit parade. Jeremy Hazelbaker collected his first hit as a Sioux City Explorer with a single to center. Jose Sermo drove Wren home with a base hit. Hazelbaker and Sermo scored on a Drew Stankiewicz double who then came home on a Dexture McCall single to make it 4-0 Sioux City. 

All of the damage was done to Airhogs starter Zech Lemond (0-10) who left the game after that first inning with an apparent groin injury. Pete Perez would fill in for the injured starter and did his best to keep Texas in the ball game despite Tago keeping them out of it. He tossed four and two-thirds scoreless innings allowing just two hits and five walks while striking out four. 

Jose Sermo would tack onto the X’s lead in the seventh. His team leading 10th home run of the year, a solo blast to right, made it 5-0 Sioux City. 

Sioux City has now won at least ten straight games for the sixth time in franchise history and for the third time in the Steve Montgomery era. The X’s also tie Fargo-Moorhead for the longest winning streak in the American Association this season as Fargo won ten straight earlier this season. 

Sioux City will attempt to make it 11 straight wins but this time away from home as they hit the road and head down to Lincoln to take on the Saltdogs in a three game series. First pitch from Lincoln on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:05 pm.