Sioux City, Iowa — Losing while allowing one hit is always a tough way to fall, which is exactly what happened Saturday night in a 2-1 loss for the Lake Country DockHounds.
Two runs in the bottom of the first held up for the Sioux City Explorers, who were hitless for their final 23 outs.
Duncan Snider walked five, but did an excellent job navigating jams, one with a pickoff, to keep Lake Country in the game.
Alan Carter and Brody Rodning both inherited runners in the latter innings of the game, and escaped with no damage. Eric Hanhold fired a scoreless eighth to complete the clean night from the bullpen. All three relievers struck out one Explorer.
The DockHounds certainly hit the ball better than their four hits and one run show, as there were multiple flyouts to the wall and line drives ran down by Sioux City outfielders. Carson Maxwell doubled home Justin Lavey in the eighth inning for the DockHounds’ only run, but was also thrown out tagging from third at the plate for the second out in the sixth inning. Demetrius Sims, the next batter, singled.
Justin Connell, like Maxwell, reached twice with a walk and a double. Connell’s walk extended the game in the ninth inning as the go-ahead run following a Josh Altmann single, but Marek Chlup couldn’t deliver with the tying run in scoring position to end the game.
Lake Country, now 10-17 on the season, is 2-7, worst in the American Association, in one-run games.
The DockHounds will look to salvage the series Sunday afternoon at 4:05 with Brady Puckett making his first appearance in a week and a half.
