The Gary SouthShore RailCats hosted the Sioux City Explorers for the only series between the two historic clubs. Both teams came in with the same record and the same goal: to start trending in the right direction.
The Explorer's offense blitzed Deyni Olivero in the first two innings. Scott Ota blasted his first home run this season, and in the second, Sioux City scored three runs on four hits to build its lead.
The fourth saw the X's hit a home run by Nick Shumpert. Olivier Basabe would belt his second home run of the year and start scoring for the Cats. The RailCats plated their second run after Basabe added his second RBI by driving in Gio Diaz.
The game reached a nail-biting climax in the ninth inning. The RailCats, with Carlos Rincon and LG Castillo leading off with singles, had a golden opportunity to level the score. But the Sioux City Explorers' Zach Willeman stepped up, extinguishing the drama with three quick outs.
Olivero went eight innings for the RailCats and threw 108 pitches, 74 of which were strikes. The RailCats record falls to 3-7 and currently sit in fifth place in the East Division. Game two of the three-game series will commence at 11 AM.
