Late rally sinks X's
By Steve Allspach Journal sports writer | Posted: Friday, July 06, 2007
The Sioux City Explorers have lost 35 American Association games this season.
But, the 5-4 setback at the hands of the Lincoln Saltdogs Thursday night at Lewis and Clark Park might have been the most gut-wrenching off all.
With Brad Guy turning in his usual sterling performance on the mound, Manager Ed Nottle's X's took a 4-1 lead into the ninth inning, but ended up losing 5-4, the 13th loss in 17 one-run games this season.
Lincoln, though, might have had Sioux City right where it wanted, especially with Guy in the dugout.
Guy battled valiantly through eight innings, spacing 10 hits. He only walked one and fanned a batter.
Nottle called on new closer Matt Wilkinson in the ninth, but the native Australian was roughed up for four runs and four hits.
Lincoln's North Division first-half champs batted around in the ninth with Pichet Balet's two-out, two-run double providing the difference.
"Baseball's a funny game,'' said the former Explorer and the American Association's player of year in 2006. "Sometimes you get it done and sometimes you don't.
"This time, I was fortunate to get a clutch hit for us, but I'm not the only one on this team capable of that. Our whole lineup is capable.''
In the ninth, Lincoln had runners on second and third with first base open.
Nottle chose to pitch to Balet.
"In that situation, I'd have done the same thing as Ed,'' said Lincoln Manager Tim Johnson. "You face either Balet or Bryan Warner coming up. That's poison and more poison.''
But, Balet produced with pinch-runner Carlos Gallardo and Tony Garcia scoring.
Gallardo was running for Josh Patton, who was inserted to pinch hit for Cody Lusero and singled home Jay Yaconetti. Seth Pietsch scored the first run in the uprising on Mendoza's ground out.
Because of a leg injury, Patton hadn't played in the first two games of the series.
The loss left Sioux City with a 1-2 record in the second half and Lincoln is 2-1. The Saltdogs fell victim to a Sioux City rally Wednesday in losing.
Nottle defended Wilkinson's work in relief, even though the loss evened his record at 2-2.
"I brought Wilkie in here to save games for us and I guarantee you, with 45 games left, he'll have many opportunities and he'll succeed, no doubt in my mind.''
The X's were outhit 14-8 and Lincoln's dynamite relief corps of Nathan Staggs, Mark Roberts and closer Matt Varner saved the day. Each pitched an inning with Roberts getting the win to go to 4-1 and Varner registering his 12th save.
Rookie John Kaminski gave the Dogs six strong innings in just his second start.
The Explorers will meet Lincoln nine more times this season, all in the Saltdogs' Haymarket Park.
The X's squeezed ahead 2-1 in the sixth when Brandon Jones doubled home Alex Llanos, who reached on a two-out single and stole second.
Pete Pirman, with only two hits in his previous 34 at-bats and batting .212, appeared to have added rock-solid insurance in the eighth when he rapped a two-run single to inflate the lead to 4-1.
His single sent Jake Daubert and Jorge Moreno, aboard on singles, scurrying home.
"I've been struggling for a long time, but to get a big hit like this one hopefully will help get my confidence back,'' said Pirman. "The sad part is we lost the game, but every guy on this team gives 110 percent every game.
"We keep playing like we did the last two games we should get this turned in the right direction.''
Sioux City drew first blood.
Ailing Jason Tuttle, who delivered the game-winning pinch hit a dramatic 9-8 win Wednesday night, led off first, stole second and third and scored on Daubert's single
It was Daubert's team-leading 40th RBI.
Tuttle, ill since Sunday, missed Tuesday's game, but started in center Thursday night. His two thefts in the first inning were his 13th and 14th of the season and he also extended a personal hitting streak to 12 games with a bunt single in the third.
The X's loaded the bases with one out in the second, but Moreno grounded sharply to third to start an inning-ending double play.
Brian Buchanan, acquired from the St. Joseph Blacksnakes earlier this week, will start against his former team tonight when the X's start a three-game series in the Missouri city. Buchanan is 1-6 with his only win against Sioux City.
Lincoln linked singles by Mendoza, Balet, Warner and Brett Cooley to produce its only run in the sixth off Guy, forging a 1-1 tie.
Mendoza scored on the single by Balet.
X's and OH's: All-Star shortstop Nick McCoola started an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the second and started another twin-killing in the fifth, rendering moot a leadoff single by Pietsch. It was Sioux City's sixth double play in two games....
McCoola remained the only Explorer named to the league All-Star Game when the pitching staffs for the contest in Sioux Falls July 17 were announced Thursday. No Sioux City hurlers were included. The last time Sioux City had just one All-Star selection was in 2000 when pitcher Derek Fahs the lone representative....
After drawing a crowd of 3,551 Tuesday and 3,442 Wednesday, approximately 600 were counted in the seats at the end of the fourth inning and announced attendance was 1,507....
Sioux City's Moreno had five RBIs in the Wednesday game, equaling a five-RBI game by Daubert on May 22. Before that, the last Explorer to drive in at least five runs was Ian Church on Sept. 2, 2005, when he drove in six at Lincoln....
Interestingly, the club record for RBIs in a game is eight by Scott Pinoni against Thunder Bay on July 5, 1997....
Fort Worth has been rained out of 11 scheduled games this season, six of them at home....
The North pitching staff for the All-Star Game includes Lincoln's Jarrett Gardner (6-1), Josh Kauten (6-0), Roberts (3-1) and Varner (1-1), St. Paul's Brian Whinnery (4-1) and Pat Mahomes (7-1), Kris Regas (1-2) and Jerrod Fuell (1-0) of Sioux Falls. The South hurlers are Ned Darley (3-2) and Greg Wiltshire (7-3) of El Paso, Coastal Bend's Jon Hunton (1-1), Pensacola's Logan Williamson (1-1), Shreveport's Mal Winters (1-2) and Matt Yeatman (5-1) and Joel Kirsten (3-4) and Cory Walters of Fort Worth (5-3).
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Last modified 07/06 01:19 PM by Thomas Ritchie
Created 07/05 10:36 PM by Barry Poe
But, the 5-4 setback at the hands of the Lincoln Saltdogs Thursday night at Lewis and Clark Park might have been the most gut-wrenching off all.
With Brad Guy turning in his usual sterling performance on the mound, Manager Ed Nottle's X's took a 4-1 lead into the ninth inning, but ended up losing 5-4, the 13th loss in 17 one-run games this season.
Lincoln, though, might have had Sioux City right where it wanted, especially with Guy in the dugout.
Guy battled valiantly through eight innings, spacing 10 hits. He only walked one and fanned a batter.
Nottle called on new closer Matt Wilkinson in the ninth, but the native Australian was roughed up for four runs and four hits.
Lincoln's North Division first-half champs batted around in the ninth with Pichet Balet's two-out, two-run double providing the difference.
"Baseball's a funny game,'' said the former Explorer and the American Association's player of year in 2006. "Sometimes you get it done and sometimes you don't.
"This time, I was fortunate to get a clutch hit for us, but I'm not the only one on this team capable of that. Our whole lineup is capable.''
In the ninth, Lincoln had runners on second and third with first base open.
Nottle chose to pitch to Balet.
"In that situation, I'd have done the same thing as Ed,'' said Lincoln Manager Tim Johnson. "You face either Balet or Bryan Warner coming up. That's poison and more poison.''
But, Balet produced with pinch-runner Carlos Gallardo and Tony Garcia scoring.
Gallardo was running for Josh Patton, who was inserted to pinch hit for Cody Lusero and singled home Jay Yaconetti. Seth Pietsch scored the first run in the uprising on Mendoza's ground out.
Because of a leg injury, Patton hadn't played in the first two games of the series.
The loss left Sioux City with a 1-2 record in the second half and Lincoln is 2-1. The Saltdogs fell victim to a Sioux City rally Wednesday in losing.
Nottle defended Wilkinson's work in relief, even though the loss evened his record at 2-2.
"I brought Wilkie in here to save games for us and I guarantee you, with 45 games left, he'll have many opportunities and he'll succeed, no doubt in my mind.''
The X's were outhit 14-8 and Lincoln's dynamite relief corps of Nathan Staggs, Mark Roberts and closer Matt Varner saved the day. Each pitched an inning with Roberts getting the win to go to 4-1 and Varner registering his 12th save.
Rookie John Kaminski gave the Dogs six strong innings in just his second start.
The Explorers will meet Lincoln nine more times this season, all in the Saltdogs' Haymarket Park.
The X's squeezed ahead 2-1 in the sixth when Brandon Jones doubled home Alex Llanos, who reached on a two-out single and stole second.
Pete Pirman, with only two hits in his previous 34 at-bats and batting .212, appeared to have added rock-solid insurance in the eighth when he rapped a two-run single to inflate the lead to 4-1.
His single sent Jake Daubert and Jorge Moreno, aboard on singles, scurrying home.
"I've been struggling for a long time, but to get a big hit like this one hopefully will help get my confidence back,'' said Pirman. "The sad part is we lost the game, but every guy on this team gives 110 percent every game.
"We keep playing like we did the last two games we should get this turned in the right direction.''
Sioux City drew first blood.
Ailing Jason Tuttle, who delivered the game-winning pinch hit a dramatic 9-8 win Wednesday night, led off first, stole second and third and scored on Daubert's single
It was Daubert's team-leading 40th RBI.
Tuttle, ill since Sunday, missed Tuesday's game, but started in center Thursday night. His two thefts in the first inning were his 13th and 14th of the season and he also extended a personal hitting streak to 12 games with a bunt single in the third.
The X's loaded the bases with one out in the second, but Moreno grounded sharply to third to start an inning-ending double play.
Brian Buchanan, acquired from the St. Joseph Blacksnakes earlier this week, will start against his former team tonight when the X's start a three-game series in the Missouri city. Buchanan is 1-6 with his only win against Sioux City.
Lincoln linked singles by Mendoza, Balet, Warner and Brett Cooley to produce its only run in the sixth off Guy, forging a 1-1 tie.
Mendoza scored on the single by Balet.
X's and OH's: All-Star shortstop Nick McCoola started an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the second and started another twin-killing in the fifth, rendering moot a leadoff single by Pietsch. It was Sioux City's sixth double play in two games....
McCoola remained the only Explorer named to the league All-Star Game when the pitching staffs for the contest in Sioux Falls July 17 were announced Thursday. No Sioux City hurlers were included. The last time Sioux City had just one All-Star selection was in 2000 when pitcher Derek Fahs the lone representative....
After drawing a crowd of 3,551 Tuesday and 3,442 Wednesday, approximately 600 were counted in the seats at the end of the fourth inning and announced attendance was 1,507....
Sioux City's Moreno had five RBIs in the Wednesday game, equaling a five-RBI game by Daubert on May 22. Before that, the last Explorer to drive in at least five runs was Ian Church on Sept. 2, 2005, when he drove in six at Lincoln....
Interestingly, the club record for RBIs in a game is eight by Scott Pinoni against Thunder Bay on July 5, 1997....
Fort Worth has been rained out of 11 scheduled games this season, six of them at home....
The North pitching staff for the All-Star Game includes Lincoln's Jarrett Gardner (6-1), Josh Kauten (6-0), Roberts (3-1) and Varner (1-1), St. Paul's Brian Whinnery (4-1) and Pat Mahomes (7-1), Kris Regas (1-2) and Jerrod Fuell (1-0) of Sioux Falls. The South hurlers are Ned Darley (3-2) and Greg Wiltshire (7-3) of El Paso, Coastal Bend's Jon Hunton (1-1), Pensacola's Logan Williamson (1-1), Shreveport's Mal Winters (1-2) and Matt Yeatman (5-1) and Joel Kirsten (3-4) and Cory Walters of Fort Worth (5-3).
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