After Sioux City started the series with losses on Friday and Saturday, the team was hoping to leave Lincoln with a win and continue to aim for a spot in the American Association of Professional Baseball playoffs.

But after starting pitcher Joey Murray allowed five runs in the first inning, the X’s faced a tough fight from the start.

Although Sioux City was able to get on the scoreboard with two single runs in the second and fourth innings, they were still trailing by several runs halfway through the game.

But in the fifth inning, the X’s showed an explosive offense with an RBI double from John Nogowski, a fielder’s choice score on a hit from Scott Ota and capped by a three-run shot from Justin Connell that gave the team a 6-5 lead.

Even after Sioux City took the lead for the first time, the company was not ready to take its foot off the gas.

The team followed up its four-run fifth inning with three runs in the sixth, with Nogowski and Ota adding to their RBI totals for the day. Nogowski scored two runs on a double, followed by an RBI single from Ota to extend the X’s lead to 9-5.

The final run of the game for Sioux City came on Nogowski’s third RBI hit of the day, his 26th double of the season, which he used to bring in Jake Green and give his team a 10-6 lead.

While the X’s offense came to life and built a significant lead, their bullpen provided security in the second half of Sunday’s game.

Aside from a single run in the sixth inning, the tandem of Brandon Bosher, Zach Willeman and Kyle Marman kept the Saltdogs under control. In their total of 4.2 innings on the mound, they had nine strikeouts and allowed five hits, which underlined their team’s offensive performance.

Sioux City (46-47) remains in fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division with seven regular season games remaining.

The X’s remain on the road for a three-game series against the Sioux Falls Canaries, beginning with a matchup on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.