Explorers Power Up to Knock Off Cleburne
CLEBURNE, Texas (Aug. 20, 2021) – The Sioux City Explorers hit three solo home runs and got a dominant bullpen effort to best the Cleburne Railroaders 4-2 on Friday night at The Depot at Cleburne Station.
D.J. Poteet provided the go-ahead blast in the top of the seventh, breaking a 2-2 tie with his third home run of the season. The Explorers (44-41) would go on to add an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a two-out RBI single from George Callil for the final margin.
The combination of Max Kuhns (8-1) and Brandon Brosher was lights out in relief for Sioux City, tossing a combined 3.2 shutout innings with eight strikeouts. Brosher worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to secure his second save of the season.
Jheyson Manzueta (6-4) pitched very well in defeat for Cleburne, working a season-long eight innings and allowing three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. Sioux City got a solo home run from Blake Tiberi in the second and one from Michael Lang in the third to grab a 2-0 lead, but Chase Simpson tied the game for Cleburne with a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the sixth. Simpson doubled three times on the day, matching a franchise record for single-game two-base hits. As a team, the Railroaders hit six doubles, also matching a single-game franchise record.
The Railroaders (44-39) had one last chance to break through in the bottom of the eighth, putting runners at second and third after Simpson’s third double of the evening. But Broshers struck out Zach Nehrir and Hunter Clanin looking to end the threat.
Cleburne now stands in third place by just one game in the South Division standings heading into the middle game of the series on Saturday night. The Railroaders will start right-hander Garrett Alexander (6-6, 7.20), while Sioux City counters with lefty Tyler Koch (0-1, 3.27). First pitch is scheduled for 7:06 PM.
For information on partnerships, season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Railroaders main office at (817) 945-8705, or visit the Railroaders official website at www.railroaderbaseball.com.