GENEVA, Ill. — Another day, another win.
The Sioux City Explorers (9-12) extended their winning streak on Thursday with a 9-3 win over Kane County in Game 1 of a doubleheader.
The doubleheader was held Thursday because of inclement weather on Wednesday, thus the game was pushed back.
It's the first of two straight days where the Explorers have to play doubleheaders. Sioux City will also face Gary SouthShore in a twinbill at 4 p.m. Friday because of rain here on Sunday.
The Explorers set the tone early in the first game by scoring in the first inning.
Danny Amaral led off the game with a single, and later scored on a fielder's choice on a Nate Samson fielder's choice. Amaral stole second and advanced to third on Nick Franklin's sacrifice bunt.
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Sioux City then scored four more in the second inning. Amaral had a two-run single as the fourth hitter of the inning.
Then, Franklin hit his fourth double of the season, scoring John Anthon.
Gabe Snyder then drove in the fifth run of the game with an RBI single that scored the former major leaguer.
Amaral in the third inning earned an RBI on a bases-loaded walk, as Blake Tiberi, Chase Harris and Anthon all singled in front of Amaral.
Harris later scored on a Franklin sacrifice fly.
Franklin later homered in the fifth inning on a solo shot, doing so on a 1-0 count.
Tiberi knocked in the ninth run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
Explorers ace Kevin McCanna got the win, and more importantly, he pitched a complete game.
McCanna held the Cougars to three runs on eight hits. He recorded six strikeouts.
The Rice University alum needed 113 pitches to get through the game and he threw 80 strikes.
On the season, McCanna is 4-1 with a 4.39 earned run average. He's logged 28 2/3 innings, and in that span, he has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 24-9.
Thursday was the first time McCanna had pitched since June 1, which was a win for the X's at home over Milwaukee.
Sherman Johnson did the most damage for the Cougars, hitting a three-run home run in the seventh inning.