The San Antonio Missions’ Luis Aviles Jr. came through with a two-run double in the second inning.
And then, Pedro Castellanos hit his fourth home run of the season, a grand slam later in the same inning.
And then, Missions starter Efrain Contreras pitched five no-hit innings.
And then, the Missions were on their way to a 7-0 lead after seven innings on Saturday night at Wolff Stadium.
And then, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals rallied… and rallied… and rallied.
The Naturals scored three runs in the eighth, four in the ninth, and outscored the Missions 4-3 in three extra innings for an 11-10 victory. Northwest Arkansas scored the go-ahead run on an RBI double by Jose Briceno in the top of the 12th inning.
Contreras, who is rebuilding his career after an injury wiped out his 2021 season, had his best outing of the season in his fifth start and was in line for a win when he left the game. The 23-year-old right-hander pitched five full innings and struck out six batters and had three walks.
Castellanos finished the game with two hits and five RBIs.
Missions catcher Michael De La Cruz had two hits and scored twice.
Juan Fernandez had only one plate appearance but extended his hitting streak to seven games. He entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 11th inning and produced an RBI single.
