X's Sweep Doubleheader from Canaries
July 20, 2019 - American Association (AA)
Sioux City Explorers News Release
Sioux City, IA - The Explorers completed the double header sweep on a hot humid day over the Sioux Falls Canaries on Friday winning game one 13-9 and game two 6-5.
Game One
The first game of the day was the conclusion of a game suspended due to rain on June 23rd. The Explorers and Canaries entered the game in the top of the second inning with the Canaries leading 3-0 and with a chance to add more with the bases loaded and two outs in the inning. But Sioux City escaped that jam with a fly out to right and then the X's offense got to work.
In the second a lead off single from Adam Sasser and a double by Dexture McCall had runners at second and third with no one out. Drew Stankiewicz drove home Sasser with a ground out and McCall scored on a Sebastian Zawada double making it 3-2 Birds.
In the third Sioux City's offense was as hot as the weather. With first pitch being 95 degrees with a heat index of 115 degrees the X's didn't wilt in the extreme heat. What followed was an eight run, third inning. Sasser would come up with the bases loaded and no one out after the first three men reached and he would double down the left field line to drive home two and give Sioux City the lead 4-3. McCall drove home another two with a single to center making it 6-3 and Stankiewicz made it three consecutive two RBI's hits with his third home run of the season, going the other way to left to expand the X's lead to 8-3. Kyle Wren tacked on another two run dinger in the third to push the X's lead to 10-3.
The eight run rally matches their highest total in a single inning this season.
Sioux City tacked on a run in the sixth with a lead off double from Nate Samson who would score on a McCall single.
Carlos Sierra (4-0) continued his impressive starts now that he's a part of the rotation. The game on June 23rd was actually designed to be his first outing as a starting pitcher and it happened to work out that game one on Friday was his scheduled day to pitch. In total he threw six and 1/3rd innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with eight walks and five strikeouts after combining his numbers from the first two innings on that original rainy Sunday afternoon.
Sioux Falls chipped away at the X's 11-3 lead scoring six times in the final three innings. Burt Reynolds drove home two in the seventh with a two run double. Josh Rehwaldt tripled home another pair in the eighth and a Clint Coulter home run in the ninth and a Brett Vertigan RBI single made it a respectable game in the ninth.
But Sioux City would also keep tacking on runs to keep the Canaries at an arms length from the lead. Zawada scored on a Samson sacrifice fly in the seventh and Dexture McCall crushed his third homer of the season in the eighth, a solo blast.
McCall lead the way offensively for the X's going 4-5 with four RBI's, a double and a home run, he finished just a triple shy of the cycle.
Between the combination of Sasser, McCall and Stankiewicz they went 8-15 (.533) with two home runs, two doubles, nine RBI's and six runs scored.
Game Two
Game two was all about the rookies getting it done with some career firsts.
After Sioux Falls jumped out to an early lead Sioux City would fight back. In the first trailing 1-0 Kyle Wren lead off the inning with a triple and would score on a ground out to tie it 1-1.
In the second trailing 3-1 McCall doubled, again, advanced to third on a fly out to right field and scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 3-2.
In the fourth however Stankiewicz began the rally with a one out walk. McCall would reach on a throwing error by the Birds second baseman. And Adam Sasser continued his hot hitting day with his first career professional home run. The no doubt bomb was of the three run variety and gave Sioux City the lead they would not lose 5-3.
Justin Felix with two outs in that fourth inning also collected his first professional hit. A frozen rope over the left fielders head for a double and he would score on a Kyle Wren triple, his second of the night. Wren increased his league lead in triples to eight with two in game two. The RBI triple made it 6-3 Sioux City.
Sioux Falls got a two run home run from Clint Coulter in the fifth to cut the X's lead down to one run but that's the final hit they would have on the night.
Eric Karch (2-4) picked up his second straight win going five innings surrendering five runs on eight hits punching out four and walking three. After the home run however Karch retired the next three Canaries he faced beginning a trend.
Nate Gercken threw a perfect sixth inning and Matt Pobereyko tossed a perfect ninth earning his 14th save of the year. After the Coulter home run the X's pitching staff between Karch, Gercken and Pobereyko combined to retire the last nine Canaries that came to the plate slamming the door shut on a 6-5 win.
Sioux City will next play just a single game on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 pm. The Explorers starter is yet to be announced where as Sioux Falls will be throwing the righty Taylor Hill.
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