Pheasants Can't Catch Sioux City in Series Opener

August 19, 2011 - American Association (AA)
Sioux Falls Canaries News Release

SIOUX CITY, Iowa. - The Sioux City Explorers handed the Sioux Falls Pheasants a 4-1 loss on Friday night to take the first game of a three-game series.

With two on and the game tied at 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning, Sioux City's Wally Backman Jr. lined a ball toward left center field. Pheasants outfielder Reggie Abercrombie made a diving attempt to catch the ball but missed, and the ball traveled to the warning track. A relay throw was too late to catch Backman steaming toward home for a three-run, inside-the-park home run.

The two teams were locked in a scoreless game until the bottom of the sixth inning when Kent Sakamoto singled home Sioux City's first run. The Pheasants responded with an unearned run in top of the seventh to tie the game.

Pheasants starter Kyle Ruwe (4-5) suffered the loss but delivered a quality start. Over seven innings, he gave up four runs, three earned, on seven hits. He walked one and struck out one.

David Trahan (3-1) squelched the Pheasants bats to earn the victory. He limited the Pheasants to two hits in the first seven innings and five hits total. Trahan gave up three singles in the eighth and left with the bases loaded, but reliever Emiliano Fruto struck out Brandon Sing to end the threat.

Fruto stayed for a scoreless ninth to earn his 11th save of the year.

Reggie Abercrombie and Mark Shorey were each 2-for-4 at the plate for the Pheasants, who fell to 40-49 on the season and lost their fifth straight.

Gus Milner went 0-for-4 to snap a team-best, 15-game hitting streak. He batted .403 during that stretch.

Game two of the three-game series is at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, August 20, in Sioux City. The game will be broadcast on Sioux Falls Sports Radio 1230-AM and www.kwsn.com.

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