Harris Homers Twice to Power Explorers to Victory
By Austin Thomas, Sioux City Explorers
SIOUX CITY, IA – The Sioux City Explorers (10-4) beat the Lincoln Saltdogs (5-9) in a landslide 16-5 victory to get out of their 1-3 rut on Saturday night. It was a huge offensive performance, including five home runs from the X’s with three batters collecting three hits. Delvin Zinn, who was traded earlier that day from the Milwaukee Milkmen, debuted for the Xs and produced two hits with an RBI and scored as well.
The game started with shut outs for both teams in the first inning. X’s starter Jared Wetherbee (2-0) pitched a perfect first while Matt Lloyd hit a single but didn’t get any more help in the bottom of the inning off Saltdogs starter Tanner Brown (0-3). Luke Roskam hit a double off Wetherbee in the second, but Lincoln stalled that inning. The X’s scored their first run of the game off a Eury Perez leadoff homer to make it a 1-0 game. Wetherbee continued to pitch well in the third inning, walking one batter, the only runner to reach. The X’s did more damage in the bottom of the inning as newcomer Zinn made his first offensive impact with an RBI to score Kyle Kasser before stealing second and making his way around to score to make it a 3-0 game.
The Saltdogs started the fourth scoring two on a two-out rally with a Yanio Perez RBI single and RBI triple from Will Kengor. The X’s followed up the Saltdogs rally with a monster offensive barrage, hitting three home runs, from Chase Harris, Jake Sanford, and Vince Fernandez, as part of a seven-run inning to make it a 10-2 game. Wetherbee pitched his final inning in the fifth, getting three up, three down before Lincoln reliever Nic Laio did the same. The Saltdogs couldn’t get anything going in the sixth off X’s reliever Heitor Tokar despite having runners on the corners.
The Saltdogs once again went down in order in the seventh as Tokar continued to hold them, the score remaining 10-2. The X’s looked strong on offense once again off Lincoln reliever Ben Terwilliger, scoring three runs and making it 13-2 entering the eighth. The Saltdogs scored three in the top of the eighth, thanks to a three-run homer from Nick Anderson, making it 16-5. The X’s also put up three runs that inning off the Saltdogs position player pitcher Matt Goodheart, including Chase Harris’ second home run and an RBI from Fernandez. Kent Hasler came in for the X’s in the ninth and shut the door, the X’s winning the game 13-5.
The Explorers and Saltdogs wrap up their three-game series Sunday afternoon with the first pitch at 4:05 p.m. RHP Solomon Bates (2-0, 3.50) will make the start for Sioux City with Lincoln sending out RHP Zach Keenan (0-0, 0.79)
Tickets for the season can be purchased online at 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.