Sioux City, IA – The Sioux City Explorers (10-15) won the series opener against the Lake Country DockHounds (10-16) Friday night with a statement 8-1 victory. Sioux City’s Daniel Lingua went 3-5 while Scott Ota drew four walks, and Osvaldo Martinez went 2-2 with two walks. Sioux City’s Braunny Munoz(3-1) also played well, pitching five innings without any earned runs, but it was Sioux City’s Kade Mechals who finished it with four scoreless frames.
The Explorers got on the board first when Sioux City’s Nick Shumpert came around to score on a Zac Vooletich sac fly off Lake Country starter Bryan Bonnell (2-3) in the bottom of the second, giving the X’s an early 1-0 lead.
Sioux City’s Scott Ota doubled the lead in the bottom of the third when he raced home on a passed ball by Lake Country catcher Deivy Grullon, extending the X’s lead to 2-0.
The DockHounds showed some fight in the top of the fifth when Lake Country’s Deivy Grullon came around to score on a Carson Maxwell double off Sioux City’s Munoz, but that was all they got, making it 2-1.
The Explorers responded in the bottom of the frame when Sioux City’s John Nogowski hit a sac fly off Lake Country’s Bonnell, allowing Dwight Childs to score and making it 3-1 X’s.
Sioux City’s Mechals relieved Munoz to start the sixth, and he pitched lights out from there on.
The edge for the Explorers grew further in the bottom of the seventh when Dwight Childs scored again on a sacrifice fly from Daniel Montano off Lake Country’s Bonnell, extending the X’s lead to 4-1. Later in the inning, Daniel Lingua rounded for home after John Nogowski sent a ball to deep left field, resulting in a sac fly and making it 5-1.
The X’s put the finishing touches on their night in the bottom of the eighth when Daniel Lingua picked up two RBI on a bases-loaded single off Lake Country’s Shelby Lackey, pushing across Martinez and Chase Harris and making it 7-1 Explorers. The X’s capped off the night with a bases loaded walk to Sioux City’s Ota, plating Childs and extending the lead to 8-1.
Mechals finished the game for the X’s after throwing just 19 pitches in his first three innings combined, working through the side and earning the save (1).
The Explorers will play game two of a three game series with the Lake Country DockHounds Saturday night at 6:05 p.m.
