LINCOLN, Nebraska – LHP Abdallah Aris tossed his second straight quality start, but the ‘Dogs lost 8-1 to the Sioux City Explorers in the series opener at Haymarket Park on Friday night.
Aris allowed just two runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts over 6 and 2/3 innings, but Lincoln – averaging nearly 10 runs of support in Aris’s first five starts – scored once and Aris took his first loss of the year.
Sioux City (15-17) took the lead on a two-out RBI single from 3B Jake Ortega in the 3rd inning. The ‘Dogs (13-17) tied the game on an RBI single from RF Zane Zurbrugg with two outs in the 5th.
The Explorers regained the lead on a sacrifice fly from 2B Delvin Zinn in the 7th inning. The Explorers added six runs in the top of the 9th. SS Miguel Sierra hit a two-run double before two more runs scored on an error from ‘Dogs SS Drew Devine. With two outs in the inning, RF Vince Fernandez hit a two-run single to make it 8-1.
CF Nick Anderson had his 14-game on-base streak end, but Devine extended his hitting streak to seven games. Zurbrugg had two hits while 1B Yanio Perez had a walk and a double.
The Explorers evened the season series after Lincoln took two of three at Sioux City in May. The ‘Dogs and Explorers entered the weekend tied for third in the West Division, and Sioux City now has a one game lead on Lincoln.
The series continues Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. and pregame coverage begins at 5:35 on KFOR FM 101.5/1240 AM.
The Saltdogs are back in 2023! Single-game tickets for all games are on sale now. Reserve your seats now by calling 402-474-BALL (2255) or order on-line at Saltdogs.com.