Explorers Pull Away Late against Monarchs
July 8, 2025 - American Association (AA)
Sioux City Explorers News Release
KANSAS CITY, Kan.- The Sioux City Explorers (34-20) opened their pivotal series with a statement win, taking down the Kansas City Monarchs (32-20) by a score of 4-2 at Legends Field. Behind timely hitting and another brilliant start by Jared Wetherbee, the Explorers reclaimed sole possession of the first place crown in the West Division.
The Explorers, fresh off another foiled sweep attempt, rolled into their most important series of the year with something to prove despite standing atop the American Association power rankings. The sparkplug of the night, two-hitter Henry George, kicked off his series with a patented single the opposite way.
The left-handed hitting outfielder swiped second on the second pitch of Zac Vooletich's at bat, and the former Texas Tech Red Raider plated him on a double that hugged the left field line and dropped inches fair. Osvaldo Tovalin flew out to center for the second out, but Josh Day picked him up. Vooletich stole third base during Day's turn at the dish, and lined a broken-bat single over shortstop, just past Josh Bissonette's outstretched glove. Sioux City came out swinging and grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first.
Wetherbee's first challenge mounted in the bottom half of the second inning. Jorge Bonifacio and Alvaro Gonzalez anointed the frame with back-to-back singles before the lefty out of Elon retired the side in order from there, punctuating his success by punching out Alex McGarry to end the frame.
The Monarchs scratched a run across against the southpaw in the bottom of the fourth. Wetherbee issued a leadoff walk to Robbie Glendinning. The Aussie promptly advanced to second and scored a few batters later on Ross Adolph's RBI single, trimming Sioux City's lead to one.
Monarchs starter Daniel Martinez settled in after his first-inning snafu. He allowed three hits in the opening frame, but Sioux City mustered just one more over the final 5.1 innings of his outing.
Manager Joe Calfapietra elected to go to his bullpen after Martinez issued a one-out walk to Nick Shumpert, calling upon 25-year-old right-hander Lean Mendez. Shumpert scooted to third, but Mendez stranded him there, striking out Abdiel Layer to escape the jam.
Sioux City's manager, Steve Montgomery, dipped into his bullpen in the seventh inning, selecting his best leverage lefty, Chase Jessee who snapped his stretch of 17.2 scoreless innings and blew a save in his previous outing, but he logged a scoreless two-inning outing on Tuesday.
He faced a bit of trouble in the eighth inning, as Glendinning's two-out single moved former Explorer John Nogowski, the tying run, into scoring position. Unfazed, Jessee remained composed and finished the inning, forcing Bonifacio to pop out to catcher Kurtis Byrne in foul territory.
After the two-spot in the first, the Monarchs held Sioux City quiet over the next seven innings. The Explorers broke the scoreless stretch in style in the ninth as Vooletich unleashed a solo blast well beyond the 18-foot high wall in left field. Nick Shumpert added insurance later in the inning with an RBI single.
Manager Steve Montgomery turned to Felix Cepeda to close out the series opener in the bottom of the ninth. The Dominican flamethrower surrendered a run in the frame and allowed Nogowski to come to the plate, representing the winning run against his former team. Cepeda induced a flyout to center, securing his league-leading 14th save as Sioux City took over the division lead.
The Explorers play game two of the three-game series against the Kansas City Monarchs tomorrow night July 9 at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas. The first pitch is set for 6:35 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 for all Explorers games are available at the 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 X's have the most wins in the league at 34.
-It was the Explorers third straight quality start.
-The Explorers stole five bases in the game.
-Sioux City leads the season series 4-3.
-Zac Vooletich has a team season long 11 game hitting streak.
-The Explorers are 22-9 in games decided by two runs or less.
TUNE INTO ALL THE EXPLORERS ACTION ON KSCJ AND AABASEBALL.TV.
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