SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Sioux Falls Canaries (21-14) took game one of their series against the Sioux City Explorers (16-21) Friday night, winning the opener 6-3. Sioux Falls starter Ty Culbreth (5-1) pitched six innings of one-run ball while Mike Hart’s 4-4 day with 3 RBI propelled the Canaries to victory. Daniel Lingua played well for the Explorers, going 2-3 with two walks, but it wasn’t enough to get the X’s a win.
The game started in the Canaries’ favor when they put runners on first and second for Mike Hart who picked up an RBI double off Sioux City starter Austin Drury (1-2), giving the Birds a 1-0 lead.
After trading scoreless innings, the Canaries added to their advantage when Sioux Falls’ Jordan Barth hit an RBI single following Wyatt Ulrich’s leadoff double, making it 2-0 in the top of the fifth. Josh Rehwaldt followed with a two-run shot off Sioux City’s Drury, sending home Barth and making it a 4-0 game.
Santiago Florez relieved Sioux City’s Drury to start the sixth, and after retiring two batters, the Canaries added two more runs to their lead when Sioux Falls’ Mike Hart ripped an RBI single to right field, driving in Barth and Derek Maiben and extending the lead to 6-0.
The X’s got on the board in the bottom of the sixth when Chase Harris hit a two-out RBI single off Sioux Falls’ Culbreth, plating Nick Shumpert and cutting it to a 6-1 game.
From there, the X’s bullpen locked down with Pedro Gonzalez, Brandon Brosher and Nate Gercken each delivering a shutout frame, but the Explorers didn’t manage any more runs until the ninth.
In the bottom of the ninth, the X’s started a two-out rally with Sioux City’s Daniel Lingua singling, and Scott Ota doing the same before Daniel Perez sent them both home with a two-RBI double to left field off Sioux Falls’ KT Gearlds, making it a 6-3 game. Unfortunately for the Explorers, that was all they managed as Gearlds retired Daniel Montano for the final out of the game.
The Explorers will play the Canaries in game two of the three game series Saturday night June 22 with a first pitch set for 6:05 p.m.
