Explorers Split Home Opening Night Twin Bill

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AA Sioux City Explorers

Explorers Split Home Opening Night Twin Bill

May 17, 2025 - American Association (AA)
Sioux City Explorers News Release


SIOUX CITY, Iowa - At home for the first time this season, the Sioux City Explorers (6-3) split a twin bill against the Kansas City Monarchs (6-2). Starting pitching was the day's focal point as Nick Shumpert sent a walk-off RBI-single to right field to win Game 2 by a score of 1-0.

GAME 1

The X's played two seven-inning games on Saturday. Zach Willeman (0-2) got the nod in Game 1 for the X's and was strong through five frames.

Runs were at a premium in the first end of the doubleheader. The X's plated the contest's first run in the bottom of the first inning. Josh Day singled to lead off the inning, went to second on a ground out, and scored on Luis Toribio's Texas-leaguer to right field to give Sioux City a 1-0 lead.

The game stayed that way until the sixth. Willeman walked the first two batters he faced in the inning and was replaced by Felix Cepeda. The righty struck out the first batter he faced, but a Robbie Glendinning single plated both runs and gave Kansas City the lead for good 2-1.

Julian Garcia (2-0) was electric for the Monarchs, tossing six innings of one-run ball and striking out 11 batters in his outing. Kansas City tacked on a run in the seventh to bring the score to 3-1.

The Explorers threatened in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with nobody out and bringing home a run on a Josh Bissonette error. After the error, D'Shawn Knowles and Dario Gomez both went down on strikes, and Abdiel Layer ended the game on a flyout to right field, as the X's lost game one 3-2.

GAME 2

Game two saw another pitcher's duel, which is becoming a theme for the Explorers, as Jared Wetherbee and former Major Leaguer Ashton Goudeau (1-1) went toe-to-toe.

Wetherbee racked up nine strikeouts over six innings, while Goudeau kept Sioux City off the board until the final frame. Wetherbee's highest-energy moment of the night came in the fifth inning. He loaded the bases and was almost removed from the game, but he begged to stay in to finish the inning. The lefty out of Elon reared back and fired a 93+ MPH fastball past Jhailyn Ortiz to end the threat.

Jeremy Goins (1-0) took over for Wetherbee in the seventh and worked through a scoreless inning. Goudeau pitched into the seventh inning, when disaster struck for Kansas City.

Abdiel Layer grounded out to start the inning, but Henry George doubled to put the winning run in scoring position. Nick Shumpert had the chance to walk it off, and that's precisely what he did. Down in the count 0-2, the San Jacinto alum barreled up a liner into right field, bringing home Henry George, winning the game, and sending Lewis and Clark Park into a frenzy on the 1-0 victory.

The X's and Monarchs go at it again tomorrow in the rubber match of a three-game series. The first pitch for game three is set for 4:05 p.m. with the gates opening at 3:00 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. Ticket packages for the 2025 season are on sale now, including Full and Half-Season Tickets as well as 10, 15 and 25-game Flex Packs. More information is available by calling 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.

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

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