Canaries Fend off Explorers Rally

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AA Sioux City Explorers

Canaries Fend off Explorers Rally

June 28, 2025 - American Association (AA)
Sioux City Explorers News Release


SIOUX FALLS, S.D.- The Sioux Falls Canaries (26-19) held off a late surge to defeat the Sioux City Explorers (28-18) by a score of 8-5 on Saturday night at Sioux Falls Stadium. Fueled by an early outburst and a resilient bullpen, the Canaries evened the series and set up a Sunday rubber match between two of the American Association's top clubs.

Peniel Otaño (0-4) opened the bottom of the first with back-to-back strikeouts, but his early success quickly unraveled. He surrendered four consecutive base hits, allowing the Canaries to jump out to a 3-0 lead.

The X's answered in the ensuing frame against Brendan Knoll (5-2), as Nick Shumpert reached second base with two outs before Josh Day delivered a clutch triple into the right-center field gap to bring him home. Although Sioux City ultimately stranded Day at third, they managed to break through and get on the board.

Otaño found his rhythm following a rocky first inning, stringing together three consecutive scoreless frames as he settled into his outing. However, the Sioux Falls offense is less something a pitcher can control and more a force one can merely hope to contain. The Canaries increased their tally in the bottom of the fifth, manufacturing four more runs to extend their lead to 7-1.

Following a brief stumble in the second inning, Knoll settled in and held the Explorers in check for the remainder of his outing. He worked through six complete innings, allowing just four hits while recording a lone strikeout.

Sioux Falls manager Mike Meyer then turned to 24-year-old right-hander Frankie Volkers in the seventh, and the Explorers took action. With runners at first and second, Zac Vooletich stepped to the plate and launched a 0-1 pitch over the left-field wall for a three-run homer.

Three batters later, Nick Shumpert lofted a soft single into shallow center, plating another run and narrowing the deficit to 7-5. The hit marked the end of the night for Volkers, who was lifted from the game. Righty Kody Dalen stemmed the momentum with a crucial strikeout of Luis Toribio, who stood as the potential go-ahead run.

The Canaries responded in the home half of the inning, tacking on an additional run to further complicate Sioux City's comeback efforts. The Sioux Falls bullpen silenced the Explorers' bats following the brief surge, allowing the Canaries to even the series and set the stage for a decisive rubber match on Sunday at Sioux Falls Stadium.

The Explorers will face the Canaries in the final game of the three game series Sunday afternoon June 29 at Sioux Falls Stadium. The first pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. The game can be heard on radio at KSCJ 94.9 FM and 1360 AM and the video stream will air on aabaseball.tv. Tickets are still available for the big July 3rd and 4th fireworks shows at Lewis and Clark Park by stopping by the Explorers ticket office or going online at xsbaseball.com. For more information, please call the Explorers' front office at 712-277-WINS. Stay tuned to the Explorers' social media channels and the club's website, xsbaseball.com, for all our news and updates.

Notes from the Booth:

-The Explorers lost for the first time this year when scoring 5 or more runs. They are 15-1 now.

-The Canaries lead the season series 3-2.

-The X's hit another home run and have gone yard in seven of their last eight games.

-Nick Shumpert has 11 RBI in his last eight games.

-Sioux City ran their stolen base total to 89 with two stolen bases.

TUNE INTO ALL THE EXPLORERS ACTION ON KSCJ AND AABASEBALL.TV.

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American Association Stories from June 28, 2025


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