By Austin Thomas, Sioux City Explorers

OCONOMOWOC, Wis. – The Sioux City Explorers’ (29-26) eight-game win streak ended Tuesday afternoon, losing 10-6 to the Lake Country DockHounds (25-28). The Explorers are in a tight race for second place in the West Division and remain within a half game of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and are even with the Lincoln Saltdogs.

The game began with X’s Vince Fernandez scoring when Miguel Sierra drew a bases-loaded walk from Lake Country starter Marco Becerril, making it 1-0 Sioux City in the first inning. Explorers Tyler Rando then scored when Wilfredo Gimenez hit a sac fly the next at-bat, making it a 2-0 X’s lead.

The DockHounds got one back in the bottom of the frame when Lake Country’s Demetrius Sims scored on a Marcus Chiu single off Sioux City starter Heitor Tokar, cutting the Explorers lead to 2-1.

In the third inning, DockHounds Blake Tiberi crossed the plate on a Sims triple off X’s Tokar, his second triple of the game, tying it 2-2.  Sims scored the next at-bat when Lake Country’s Nick Banks knocked a single off Tokar, giving the DockHounds a 3-2 lead.

Sioux City tied it again in the fifth when Explorers Fernandez ripped a leadoff homer off Lake Country’s Becerril over the right field wall, knotting it 3-3.

In the sixth, X’s Wilfredo Gimenez and Kyle Kasser both scored on a Delvin Zinn double off DockHounds reliever Aaron Husson, giving Sioux City a 5-3 lead. The Explorers tacked on one more that inning when X’s Daniel Perez scored on a Matt Lloyd sac fly, extending the Sioux City lead to 6-3.

Lake Country’s Chiu led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run off Explorers Tokar, making it a 6-4 ball game.

DockHounds Dustin Woodcock scored after a Brian Rey double off X’s reliever Carlos Diaz (0-3), cutting the Sioux City lead to 6-5. Rey then scored on a throwing error from Explorers catcher Gimenez, tying it 6-6.

DockHounds Blake Tiberi and Tyler Hill both scored later in the inning when Thomas Jones ripped a one-out double off X’s Nate Gercken, giving Lake Country an 8-6 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, DockHounds Hill scored again on a Sims double play off Sioux City reliever Paul Rector, extending the Lake Country lead to 9-6. The DockHounds capped off the afternoon with one more when Lake Country’s Tiberi crossed home on a Woodcock bases-loaded walk from Explorers Rector.

Box Score

The Explorers will wrap up the three game series against the Lake Country DockHounds Wednesday night with the first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. from Wisconsin Brewing Ballpark. Tickets for the season can be purchased online as XSBaseball.com, in person at the Lewis and Clark Park Box Office or by calling 712-277-WINS. You can catch all the X’s action on aabaseball.tv and on radio at KSCJ 94.9 FM and 1360 AM.