SIOUX CITY — Steve Montgomery’s recruiting pitch to Danny Amaral before the 2022 season was straightforward.
The Explorers like to have their base runners run with a “green light” mentality, and Amaral showed off his running skills in a 2-0 win Tuesday night over Fargo-Moorhead.
Amaral stole two bases and advanced from first to third on two eighth-inning wild pitches, and those four extra bases helped the Explorers score their runs on Tuesday night.
“Danny is a game changer on the bases,” Explorers manager Steve Montgomery said. “He is a guy who puts a lot of pressure on the pitching, a lot of pressure on the defense, and pressure everywhere. He’s havoc when he gets on bases.”
In the first inning, Amaral led off the inning with a single, then after stealing first and second, Danry Vasquez drove Amaral in on an RBI groundout.
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Then, in the eighth inning, Amaral reached base when he was hit by a pitch in a two-strike count.
Reid Birlingmair immediately put the first pitch to Vasquez — who was hitting right behind Amaral in the lineup — in the dirt. The pitch went to the backstop, allowing Amaral to move to second from first.
Four pitches later, Birlingmair threw a low pitch and it took a hop away from Manuel Boscan.
The ball rolled far enough away from Boscan, and Amaral read the pitch perfectly to make it to third base as he slid head first.
“We’re getting toward the end of the year, and the little things is what is going to make or break a baseball game,” Amaral said. “Everyone felt it here. Tonight felt like a playoff game. Fortunately, we were able to end up on top. It was the little things that were the difference maker.
“Those extra 90 bases, when it comes down to more playoff games, we were fortunate enough to get those (Tuesday),” Amaral said.
Four more pitches later, Amaral scored on a sacrifice fly from Vasquez.
The Explorers’ pitching staff did its job during the win, too.
Nivaldo Rodriguez went seven innings to get the win for the Explorers. He allowed three baserunners and just two of them came from hits.
Rodriguez struck out nine. He threw 98 pitches, and he found the strike zone 64 times.
“He was dialed in and when they came down from the bullpen, (pitching coach) Bobby (Post) told me that he was really dialed in during his warm-up,” Montgomery said. “You see what he’s capable of doing against a very, very capable lineup. He made pitch after pitch. He did everything that was needed.
“Considering the circumstances, and the lineup we were facing, that’s a big-time performance out of (Rodriguez),” Montgomery added. “We need to build upon that.”
Max Kuhns pitched a perfect eighth inning, and he recorded two strikeouts.
All-Star closer Thomas McIlraith gave up a double in the ninth, but he was able to hold off the RedHawks in the ninth inning for the save.
The Explorers enter Wednesday’s game against the RedHawks up three games on Lincoln with six games to go.
