CANARIES WALKOFF SIOUX CITY IN SERIES RUBBER MATCH
Sioux Falls, SD – For the second week in a row, the Canaries clinched a three-game series by walking off a divisional opponent. Wednesday night the Birds hosted league-leading Sioux City and picked up a 3-2 victory in ten innings.
Both teams left the bases loaded in their half of the first inning but the Explorers got on the scoreboard with an RBI double in the second. Wyatt Ulrich smacked a one-out double in the bottom of the third and stole third base before Welington Dotel singled to tie the game.
The 1-1 score held until Ozzie Martinez led off the seventh inning with a base hit and crossed home plate on a two-out single from Jabari Henry. Sioux City answered in the top of the eighth, though, tying the game with an RBI single.
Neither team was able to score in their half of the ninth inning and a play at home plate ended the top of the tenth. Henry laid down a sacrifice bunt before back-to-back intentional walks loaded the bases in the bottom half. Dotel then hit a groundball up the third base line that was mishandled, allowing Tyler Ryan to score the winning run.
Dotel and Trevor Achenbach each finished the game with two hits and Achenbach made a pair of run-saving defensive plays in the ninth and tenth innings. Neil Lang allowed a run on three hits over six innings while Bret Barnett earned the win in relief.
Sioux Falls is now 5-8 and will embark on a six-game roadtrip that begins Friday night in Winnipeg.
