Explorers clinch playoff spot
By Terry Hersom, Journal sports editor | Posted: Saturday, August 23, 2008
The magic number was down to just two, but this was also the next-to-last night of the season.
The Sioux City Explorers wasted little time whittling away one of those Friday night, jumping in front early on its way to a 9-0 rout of the St. Paul Saints.
And, with a season finale left tonight against the Saints, the X's still had that opportunity to finish the job with no help from anyone else.
Finally, though, there was some. And, after the Wichita Wingnuts rallied in the ninth inning for a 2-1 win over the second-place Lincoln Saltdogs -- a game that ended just minutes before Sioux City's runaway triumph concluded -- the celebration was on.
For the first time in six years and just the fourth time in the 16-year history of the franchise, the Explorers are headed to the playoffs.
"I couldn't ask for more from this team, the way they came down to the wire and kept battling,'' said Les Lancaster, whose first year at the Explorers' helm produced Sioux City's first post-season nod since 2002.
In nine seasons as a minor league manager, it's the seventh playoff berth for Lancaster.
Helping him add to that impressive background was Paige Dumont, a 6-foot 8-inch rookie righthander, who worked one out into the eighth inning before Matt Kretzschmar finished up the combined shutout.
Meanwhile, the offensive heroes included Chad Gabriel, belting a solo home run and a triple, along with Nick McCoola and Derek Schermerhorn, delivering two hits apiece, as well.
McCoola's two-run double, snapping a 0-for-17 batting skid, keynoted a four-run fifth inning that opened up a 6-0 cushion. Meanwhile, Schermerhorn's two-run single helped the X's nail it down with a three-run eighth.
It was a performance much like so many recent efforts by a team brimming with confidence.
"We kept pace, win for win, and something finally went our way,'' said Lancaster, referring to Wichita's dramatic come-from-behind win over a Lincoln team that stayed fast on the X's heels, winning six in a row and nine out of 11 before Friday.
The X's answered, though, winning 10 out of 12, including five wins in six tries on a brutal 2,600-mile road trip that took them to Grand Prairie in suburban Dallas and Pensacola, Fla.
Still, after riding a bus for 20 hours, essentially chewing up a rare day off on Wednesday, they found themselves just a single game ahead of Lincoln as this three-game series with St. Paul got under way Thursday night.
Lincoln kept winning, too, blasting Wichita 10-2, but so did the X's, prevailing 6-3 as Alexander Francisco broke a team record for wins in a season, improving to 12-1.
Clinching the North Division's second-half pennant in front of a Lewis and Clark Park crowd of 2,612, Manager Les Lancaster's team completed its improbable turnaround in a season that saw them lose seven of their first eight games and dip nine games under .500 in mid-July.
Improving to 30-17 for the second half and 51-44 overall, the X's will visit Sioux Falls, the North's first-half winner, when a best-of-five American Association playoff series gets under way on Monday.
Lincoln, 28-19, could still wind up no better than third in the second-half standings because Sioux Falls was also well on its way to 28-19 with one game left, crushing Shreveport 26-5 with 27 hits to their credit in an ugly blowout late Friday.
The Canaries, who came into Friday's action with a league-best 58-36 record, will also host Game 2 on Tuesday. Then, after a day off on Wednesday, Game 3 on Thursday shifts to Sioux City, which would also be the scene for Games 4 and 5 next Friday and Saturday, if necessary.
The Explorers, who won the traditional I-29 Trophy with Sioux Falls, winning the season series by an 11-7 margin this year, actually went 11-4 against the Canaries after being swept in a three-game early season series. So, the divisional championship showdown has that bit of drama to go along with everything else.
In the South Division, meanwhile, the battle is between newcomer Grand Prairie and Fort Worth, which has won both previous league championships since four teams from the Northern League and four from the old Central League got together to form this circuit in 2006.
Dumont, a former Sonoma State basketball star who didn't get serious about baseball until last year, improved to 7-4 for a season that saw him earn his way into the starting rotation with strong work in the bullpen. This was his 11th start to go with 15 relief appearances.
"If I was going to get beat tonight, it was going to be on my fastballs, not my sliders,'' said the hard-throwing righthander.
The strategy seemed a bit flawed after St. Paul's first two baserunners reached safely on a bloop hit and a walk. However, the first of four Sioux City double plays in the game got Dumont out of that jam and he wasn't in much trouble after that.
Gabriel, who hit 14 home runs in the Can-Am League last season, had gone deep just once this year before his third-inning bomb to right field opened the scoring.
"I've been talking with Les about trusting my hands a little more to get more power,'' said Gabriel, taking his turn as the catalyst for a team that has succeeded by doing just that -- sharing the spotlight.
"We hear things around the league and this team found a way to block it all out,'' said Gabriel.
One of the happiest faces of all, tears and all, was that of team owner John Roost, who has kept professional baseball alive in Sioux City, the league's smallest market, at no small expense to himself.
"Sioux City's a great town and this is for the fans who come out to the ballpark,'' said Roost. "It's also for the fans who can't get out here and listen on the radio. It's for the people who can't listen on the radio, either, but follow the team.''
Asked if the post-season berth meant Sioux City can look forward to another season of baseball next season, Roost said, "Absolutely. But it was already here.''
The Sioux City Explorers wasted little time whittling away one of those Friday night, jumping in front early on its way to a 9-0 rout of the St. Paul Saints.
And, with a season finale left tonight against the Saints, the X's still had that opportunity to finish the job with no help from anyone else.
Finally, though, there was some. And, after the Wichita Wingnuts rallied in the ninth inning for a 2-1 win over the second-place Lincoln Saltdogs -- a game that ended just minutes before Sioux City's runaway triumph concluded -- the celebration was on.
For the first time in six years and just the fourth time in the 16-year history of the franchise, the Explorers are headed to the playoffs.
"I couldn't ask for more from this team, the way they came down to the wire and kept battling,'' said Les Lancaster, whose first year at the Explorers' helm produced Sioux City's first post-season nod since 2002.
In nine seasons as a minor league manager, it's the seventh playoff berth for Lancaster.
Helping him add to that impressive background was Paige Dumont, a 6-foot 8-inch rookie righthander, who worked one out into the eighth inning before Matt Kretzschmar finished up the combined shutout.
Meanwhile, the offensive heroes included Chad Gabriel, belting a solo home run and a triple, along with Nick McCoola and Derek Schermerhorn, delivering two hits apiece, as well.
McCoola's two-run double, snapping a 0-for-17 batting skid, keynoted a four-run fifth inning that opened up a 6-0 cushion. Meanwhile, Schermerhorn's two-run single helped the X's nail it down with a three-run eighth.
It was a performance much like so many recent efforts by a team brimming with confidence.
"We kept pace, win for win, and something finally went our way,'' said Lancaster, referring to Wichita's dramatic come-from-behind win over a Lincoln team that stayed fast on the X's heels, winning six in a row and nine out of 11 before Friday.
The X's answered, though, winning 10 out of 12, including five wins in six tries on a brutal 2,600-mile road trip that took them to Grand Prairie in suburban Dallas and Pensacola, Fla.
Still, after riding a bus for 20 hours, essentially chewing up a rare day off on Wednesday, they found themselves just a single game ahead of Lincoln as this three-game series with St. Paul got under way Thursday night.
Lincoln kept winning, too, blasting Wichita 10-2, but so did the X's, prevailing 6-3 as Alexander Francisco broke a team record for wins in a season, improving to 12-1.
Clinching the North Division's second-half pennant in front of a Lewis and Clark Park crowd of 2,612, Manager Les Lancaster's team completed its improbable turnaround in a season that saw them lose seven of their first eight games and dip nine games under .500 in mid-July.
Improving to 30-17 for the second half and 51-44 overall, the X's will visit Sioux Falls, the North's first-half winner, when a best-of-five American Association playoff series gets under way on Monday.
Lincoln, 28-19, could still wind up no better than third in the second-half standings because Sioux Falls was also well on its way to 28-19 with one game left, crushing Shreveport 26-5 with 27 hits to their credit in an ugly blowout late Friday.
The Canaries, who came into Friday's action with a league-best 58-36 record, will also host Game 2 on Tuesday. Then, after a day off on Wednesday, Game 3 on Thursday shifts to Sioux City, which would also be the scene for Games 4 and 5 next Friday and Saturday, if necessary.
The Explorers, who won the traditional I-29 Trophy with Sioux Falls, winning the season series by an 11-7 margin this year, actually went 11-4 against the Canaries after being swept in a three-game early season series. So, the divisional championship showdown has that bit of drama to go along with everything else.
In the South Division, meanwhile, the battle is between newcomer Grand Prairie and Fort Worth, which has won both previous league championships since four teams from the Northern League and four from the old Central League got together to form this circuit in 2006.
Dumont, a former Sonoma State basketball star who didn't get serious about baseball until last year, improved to 7-4 for a season that saw him earn his way into the starting rotation with strong work in the bullpen. This was his 11th start to go with 15 relief appearances.
"If I was going to get beat tonight, it was going to be on my fastballs, not my sliders,'' said the hard-throwing righthander.
The strategy seemed a bit flawed after St. Paul's first two baserunners reached safely on a bloop hit and a walk. However, the first of four Sioux City double plays in the game got Dumont out of that jam and he wasn't in much trouble after that.
Gabriel, who hit 14 home runs in the Can-Am League last season, had gone deep just once this year before his third-inning bomb to right field opened the scoring.
"I've been talking with Les about trusting my hands a little more to get more power,'' said Gabriel, taking his turn as the catalyst for a team that has succeeded by doing just that -- sharing the spotlight.
"We hear things around the league and this team found a way to block it all out,'' said Gabriel.
One of the happiest faces of all, tears and all, was that of team owner John Roost, who has kept professional baseball alive in Sioux City, the league's smallest market, at no small expense to himself.
"Sioux City's a great town and this is for the fans who come out to the ballpark,'' said Roost. "It's also for the fans who can't get out here and listen on the radio. It's for the people who can't listen on the radio, either, but follow the team.''
Asked if the post-season berth meant Sioux City can look forward to another season of baseball next season, Roost said, "Absolutely. But it was already here.''
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