Pedro Castellanos hit his fifth home run of the season.The San Antonio Missions got a big effort from their starting pitcher for the second night in a row on Friday.
Missions starter Nolan Watson pitched six innings and got his first win of the season in a 5-2 victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks at Wolff Stadium. On Thursday night, starter Efrain Contreras got his first win of the season.
Watson, a 6-foot-2 right-hander, allowed two runs on seven hits, but walked only one and struck out two.
Kevin Kopps pitched the final two innings for his second save of the season. He did not allow a hit and struck out three.
The Missions went in front for good with three runs in the second inning. Michael De La Cruz had a sacrifice fly and Ripken Reyes hit a two-run double to make it 3-2.
Reyes, a switch-hitting middle infielder, has hits in six of his last seven games with three doubles and a triple in that stretch.
Pedro Castellanos hit a solo home run in the third inning, his fifth homer of the season, to make it 4-2.
Connor Hollis scored from third base on a De La Cruz groundup in the sixth inning to complete the scoring.
Daniel Johnson and Tirso Ornelas had two hits each for the Missions.
Pedro Castellanos – Missions
Pedro Castellanos – Missions
Pedro Castellanos – Missions
Ripken Reyes – Missions
Ripken Reyes – Missions
Ripken Reyes – Missions
Connor Hollis – Missions
Connor Hollis – Missions
Daniel Johnson – Missions
Michael De La Cruz – Missions
Tirso Ornelas – Missions
Tirso Ornelas – Missions
Missions starter Nolan Watson allowed two runs in six innings.
Starting pitcher Efrain Contreras walks off the field after pitching six innings on a humid night at Wolff Stadium.San Antonio Missions pitcher Efrain Contreras turned his seventh start of the season into his first win on Thursday at Wolff Stadium.
Contreras (1-4) pitched six scoreless innings and allowed three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts as the Missions beat the Corpus Christi Hooks 3-1.
It was Contreras’ longest outing of the season. The 23-year-old right-hander improved his season ERA from 6.50 to 4.88.
The win was a long time coming for Contreras. His last win before Thursday night was in Class A ball on Aug. 27, 2019. He went 6-6 that season.
Contreras didn’t play in 2020 because of the covid season. He had Tommy John surgery in late 2020 and missed all of the 2021 season. Last summer he was 0-5 with a 5.74 ERA in 17 starts in High-A.
Fernandez had a hit and a single. He has three hits and two RBIs so far in the series and is batting .373 for the season – the only Missions player batting better than .300. He finished the month of April with an eight-game hitting streak before going hitless in three road games last week.
The Missions recorded two runs in the first inning when Ripken Reyes scored on a wild pitch and Daniel Johnson had a sacrifice fly to bring in Pedro Castellanos. Fernandez singled to center to drive in Reyes in the fifth.
Reyes put himself in scoring position twice with a triple in the first inning and a double in the fifth.
Corpus Christi made it close by loading the bases and scoring a run in the eighth inning and putting two runners on base in the ninth. Missions reliever Lake Bachar got the final two outs for his second save of the season.
Efrain Contreras – Missions
Efrain Contreras – Missions
Efrain Contreras – Missions
Ripken Reyes – Missions
Ripken Reyes – Missions
Ripken Reyes – Missions
Ripken Reyes – Missions
Connor Hollis – Missions
Daniel Johnson – Missions
Daniel Johnson – Missions
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Lake Bachar – Missions
Pedro Castellanos – Missions
Tirso Ornelas – Missions
Ripken Reyes tripled in the first inning and scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch.
Corpus Christi Hooks outfielder and Houston Astros top prospect Drew Gilbert in Wednesday night’s second game in San Antonio.Drew Gilbert, the Houston Astros’ top minor-league prospect, moved up and made an instant impact on Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium in San Antonio.
The Corpus Christi Hooks, the Astros’ Double-A farm club, beat the San Antonio Missions 5-2 in the first game of a doubleheader.
Gilbert recorded his first Double-A RBI in an unusual way in his second plate appearance. He reached base on a catcher’s interference with the bases loaded in the third inning to push across the Hooks’ first run of the game.
Gilbert got his first Double-A hit on a double to center in the top of the seventh inning. He batted second in the order and played center field. In the night’s second game, he went 0-for-3 at the plate and played right field.
The 22-year-old Gilbert was a first-round draft pick by the Astros in 2022. He was batting .360 with with 18 RBIs and six home runs in 21 games in Class A before being promoted to Corpus Christi on Tuesday.
– Colin Barber, the No. 3 prospect in the Astros’ system, was the DH and had three hits including a home run and scored three times in the Hooks’ victory. He is batting .304 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 21 games.
– Will Wagner, the Astros’ No. 12 prospect, played third base and had a hit and a walk.
– Joey Loperfido, the No. 16 prospect, played second base and had a hit, an RBI and a walk.
– Quincy Hamilton, the No. 22 prospect, played right field and had two hits.
– Hooks starter Rhett Kouba is not listed as one of the Astros’ top-30 prospects but pitched 6 1/3 innings for the win to raise his record to 2-1. He allowed two runs on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts. He is a 23-year-old right-hander who was a 12th-round draft pick in 2021 from Dallas Baptist.
Drew Gilbert – Houston Astros prospect
Drew Gilbert – Houston Astros prospect
Drew Gilbert – Houston Astros prospect
Corpus Christi Hooks starting pitcher Rhett Kouba.Corpus Christi Hooks DH and Houston Astros prospect Colin Barber.
Missions catcher Michael De La Cruz catches a pop-up behind home plate.The San Antonio Missions had an early three-run inning to beat the Corpus Christi Hooks 5-1 in the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium.
The Hooks won the first game 5-2 on the strength of 10 hits including two extra-base hits.
The Missions played as the visiting team in the second game, which was a makeup of a rainout earlier in the season in Corpus Christi. The Missions took the lead in the second inning with an RBI single to left by Jorge Ona, an RBI single to center by Brantley Bell and an RBI sacrifice bunt by Ripken Reyes.
Michael De La Cruz added a run-scoring double in the sixth and Juan Fernandez had an RBI single in the seventh. De La Cruz, Fernandez, Bell and Jorge Ona all had two hits in the game.
Three Missions relievers combined to hold the Hooks hitless over the final four innings after Corpus Christi took a 1-0 lead in the first. Seth Mayberry, the first reliever in the game, went two innings, struck out four batters and earned his second win of the season.
Starter Jose Espada allowed two hits and one run with no walks and three strikeouts. Relievers Jared Koenig and Nick Hernandez pitched one inning each.
Jose Espada – Missions
Nick Hernandez – Missions
Seth Mayberry – Missions
Juan Fernandez had an RBI single to center in the seventh inning and is batting .382 on the season.
Juan Fernandez had three hits including this two-run single in the seventh inning.Northwest Arkansas pounded out six runs in the second inning and rolled to a 6-3 victory over the San Antonio Missions on Sunday at Wolff Stadium.
The Missions’ Juan Fernandez had three hits and extended his hitting streak to eight games. He has a .487 batting average and 1.155 OPS with eight RBIs in 10 games.
Fernandez scored the Missions’ first run in the bottom of the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly. He added a two-run single in the seventh for the rest of the Missions’ scoring.
San Antonio starter Daniel Camarena made his season debut with the Missions and pitched one scoreless inning. The 30-year-old left-hander did not allow a hit, walked two and struck out two. Camarena pitched in six games with the San Diego Padres in 2021.
Missions reliever Henry Henry was tagged for all six runs. He gave up three hits and two walks and hit two batters in 2/3 of an inning as he struggled with his control.
Three San Antonio relievers – Nolan Watson, Alek Jacob and Kevin Kopps – combined to hold Northwest Arkansas scoreless over the final seven innings.
Daniel Camarena started on the mound in his Missions debut.
The Missions’ Pedro Contreras hits a grand slam in the second inning.
Pedro Castellanos – grand slam
Pedro Castellanos – grand slam
Pedro Castellanos – grand slam
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.
Missions starter Efrain Contreras left the game with a 7-0 lead after pitching five no-hit innings.Luis Aviles Jr. hit a two-run double to help the Missions score seven runs in the second inning.Ray-Patrick Didder made his San Antonio Missions debut and played center field.
Daniel Johnson hit a two-run homer in the third inning.Luis Aviles Jr. hit his first home run of the season and Daniel Johnson hit his second to give the San Antonio Missions more runs than they needed to beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 5-1 on Thursday night at Wolff Stadium.
Aviles hit a solo shot in the second inning. Johnson added a two-run homer in the third inning.
The Missions also got some offense from some of their veteran players. Tirso Ornelas had two hits and an RBI. Juan Fernandez doubled for the third night in a row and scored a run. Fernandez has a five-game hitting streak and is batting .452 in nine games.
Missions starting pitcher Duncan Snider went 4 1/3 innings and allowed one earned run on four hits and five walks with five strikeouts.
CD Pelham, the first receiver out of the Missions’ bullpen, got the last two outs of the fifth inning to earn his first win of the season. He allowed one hit and struck out one.
Missions relievers Nick Hernandez, Jose Espada and Jared Koenig combined to pitch the last four scoreless innings to hold down the win.
Michael De La Cruz celebrates his fifth-inning home run.San Diego Padres prospect Jackson Wolf struck out a season-high 10 batters and switch-hitting catcher Michael De La Cruz hit his second home run as the San Antonio Missions beat up Northwest Arkansas 10-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Wolff Stadium.
Wolf, the only Missions starter to earn a win in the first 16 games of the season, ran his record to 2-2. The 6-foot-7 left-hander pitched five complete innings, allowed one run on four hits with one walk and double-digit strikeouts.
De La Cruz hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning. He finished with three hits, four RBIs and two runs scored.
The Missions piled up 11 hits. Ripken Reyes, another switch-hitter, had two hits, two RBIs and scored a run. Pedro Castellanos had two hits and an RBI and was hit by a pitch. Juan Fernandez had two hits, doubled for the second game in a row, had one RBI and scored twice.
Missions reliever Kevin Kopps pitched the final three scoreless innings for his first save of the season. The former University of Arkansas pitcher allowed one hit with no walks and struck out four.
Michael De La Cruz – Missions
Michael De La Cruz – Missions
Michael De La Cruz – Missions
Alek Jacob – Missions
Juan Fernandez – Missions
Daniel Johnson – Missions
Kevin Kopps – Missions
Ripken Reyes – Missions
Pedro Castellanos – Missions
Starting pitcher Jackson Wolff went five innings and got the win. The San Antonio Missions beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 10-2 on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
Missions starter Nolan Watson pitched five innings.San Antonio Missions Missions starting pitcher Nolan Watson gave up a run for the first time this season.
And he took the loss Tuesday at Wolff Stadium as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals beat the Missions 8-3.
But Watson pitched five full innings for the second straight start and has a stellar 0.64 ERA after pitching in four games this season.
The 6-foot-2 right-hander allowed two runs on Tuesday, only one earned, on five hits and no walks with one strikeout. He threw five scoreless innings in his previous outing.
The Naturals are the Double-A farm club of the Kansas City Royals. The 26-year-old Watson was originally picked by the Royals in the first round of the 2015 draft.
Missions reliever Edwuin Bencomo looks like he is finding his groove. He has appeared in six games this season and has not allowed a run in his last four. He pitched the final 1 1/3 innings on Tuesday and allowed one hit with one strikeout and no walks.
The Missions had 10 hits in the game but didn’t put much together until they scored twice in the bottom of the eighth inning. Tirso Ornelas and Juan Fernandez each put up two hits, including a double, with one run and one RBI. Daniel Johnson had a hit and drove in the Missions’ other run.
The Naturals scored first with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth. Northwest Arkansas took control with five runs in the top of the eighth.
Frisco’s Evan Carter had two hits including a home run on Sunday.The Frisco RoughRiders rolled into San Antonio with some of the top young prospects in the Texas Rangers organization.
The RoughRiders wrapped up the six-game series with a 12-2 victory over the San Antonio Missions on Sunday at Wolff Stadium.
Frisco had 12 hits including a leadoff home run by Evan Carter and a grand slam by Dustin Harris. The RoughRiders also drew 10 walks.
Carter is a 20-year-old outfielder and the No. 1 prospect in the Rangers’ minor leagues. He pounded his way through six-game series against the Missions with 10 hits, four runs, 11 RBIs, seven walks, three home runs and a double.
Harris, a 23-year-old first baseman/outfielder, is the No. 7 Rangers prospect, according to MLB.com. He had six hits, five runs, five RBIs and seven walks against the Missions including a home run and double on Sunday.
