Missions’ late inning magic ends in loss to Sod Poodles

Allen Cordoba celebrates his two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning for the San Antonio Missions' first runs of the game against the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Allen Cordoba hit his third home run of the season in the first inning on Thursday at Wolff Stadium.
Coming off back-to-back walk-off wins, the San Antonio Missions found themselves in another close game in the late innings on Thursday.

This time it was the Amarillo Sod Poodles who got the key hits, scoring twice in the top of the 11th to beat the Missions 6-5 at Wolff Stadium.

The Sod Poodles erased a 3-1 Missions lead with two runs in the eighth. Both teams scored a run in the 10th. The Sod Poodles took a 6-4 lead in the top of the 11th and the Missions scored once in the bottom of the 11th on a bases-loaded walk.

Allen Cordoba’s third home run of the season accounted for the Missions’ first two runs in the bottom of the first.

Juan Fernandez doubled in the fourth, went to third base on a wild pitch and then scored on another wild pitch to give the Missions a 3-1 lead.

Missions pitcher Fred Schlichtholz made his first start of season after 19 relief appearances. The 6-foot-3 left-hander went 3.0 innings and allowed one run on three hits, two walks and one strikeout.

Reiss Knehr had been listed as the projected starting pitcher.

Juan Fernandez, Ben Ruta, Eguy Rosario key Missions’ ninth-inning rally

The San Antonio Missions shower Juan Fernandez with ice water after he had the game-winning hit Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions shower Juan Fernandez with ice water after he had the game-winning hit Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium.
The San Antonio Missions walked off the Amarillo Sod Poodles for the second straight night.

The Missions got three key hits to score twice in the bottom of the ninth and beat the Sod Poodles 7-6 Wednesday at Wolff Stadium.

Juan Fernandez ended it with a single through the right side with the bases loaded, two outs and the game tied in the ninth. That brought Eguy Rosario home and started a celebration that concluded with Fernandez getting doused with ice water by his teammates.

The Missions trailed 4-1 early in the game and rallied to take a 5-4 lead. The Sod Poodles scored two runs in the top of the ninth to lead 6-5.

Ben Ruta, in his second game with the Missions, led off the bottom of the ninth with a double. Ruta scored on Rosario’s single to tie it 6-6. Rosario ended up at second base when the Sod Poodles threw home to try to get Ruta. Rosario went to third on Kyle Overstreet’s ground out.

Jack Suwinski and Yorman Rodriguez drew intentional walks to load the bases and Allen Cordoba popped out to set up a two-out situation. That brought Fernandez to the plate with his chance to win it.

The Missions got strong relief pitching as they worked their way back from an early deficit. Brandon Komar took over in the fourth inning and threw four scoreless innings. Carlos Belen retired the Sod Poodles in order in the eighth inning and struck out two batters.

The Missions’ early runs came on an RBI single by Cordoba in the bottom of the second inning, a Suwinski sacrifice fly in the third, Ruta scored on a wild pitch in the third, and an RBI double by Jose Azocar and a sacrifice fly by Ruta in the fourth.

Allen Cordoba, Jose Azocar have key hits in 10th inning as Missions beat Sod Poodles

Allen Cordoba (left) and Jose Azocar celebrate after Azocar drove in Cordoba with the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning as the San Antonio Missions beat the Amarillo Sod Poodles 5-4 on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Allen Cordoba (left) and Jose Azocar celebrate after Azocar drove in Cordoba with the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning.
Allen Cordoba drove in the tying run in the 10th inning and then scored the game-winner on a hit by Jose Azocar as the San Antonio Missions beat the Amarillo Sod Poodles 5-4 Tuesday at Wolff Stadium.

The game was tied 3-3 after nine innings. The Sod Poodles scored in the top of the 10th to take a 4-3 lead.

Cordoba led off the bottom of the 10th with Juan Fernandez on second base. Cordoba doubled to bring in Fernandez and tie it 4-4. Cordoba got to third base on a passed ball.

Azocar’s hit to center brought Cordoba home from third to end the game.

In between Cordoba’s hit and Azocar’s hit, there was plenty of drama. Kelvin Melean lined out for the first out of the inning. Chandler Seagle was called out on strikes – then both Seagle and Missions manager Phillip Wellman were ejected from the game.

That left Cordoba on third base with two outs when Azocar came up to finish it off.

In addition to his winning hit, Azocar also scored two runs.

San Antonio Missions starting pitcher Aaron Leasher didn’t get a decision but had another strong outing. He went six innings and allowed one run on two hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. It was his sixth start in a row when he went at least five innings and allowed either zero or one earned run.

Nick Kuzia (2-4) pitched the ninth and 10th innings for the Missions and got the win.

Missions rally but fall short against Hooks

Henry Henry pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless innings of relief for the San Antonio Missions on Sunday night at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Henry Henry pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the Missions on Sunday at Wolff Stadium.
What started out as a real mess turned out to be competitive and entertaining – but still a loss for the San Antonio Missions.

After trailing 9-0 Sunday night, the Missions closed to within a run late. The Corpus Christi Hooks hung on for a 10-8 victory at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions’ last surge came in the bottom of the eighth. Chandler Seagle and Jack Suwinski both hit two-RBI singles to trim the lead to 9-8.

The Hooks took control of the game with five runs in the top of the first and four more in the top of the third to go up 9-0.

The Missions whittled away at the lead starting in the bottom of the third, when Jose Azocar hit a two-run homer and Allen Cordoba had a sacrifice fly. Yorman Rodriguez singled in Eguy Rosario in the bottom of the fifth to cut it to 9-4.

The Missions got some solid relief pitching as they closed the gap. Henry Henry entered the game in the third inning and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings with one hit and two strikeouts. Carlos Belen held the Hooks scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings and recorded one strikeout.

Reiss Knehr, Jose Azocar help Missions end slide

San Antonio Missions starting pitcher Reiss Knehr got the win in Thursday's second game at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions starting pitcher Reiss Knehr got the win in Thursday’s second game at Wolff Stadium.
Reiss Knehr pitched five scoreless innings and led off a combined seven-inning shutout as the San Antonio Missions beat the Corpus Christi Hooks 3-0 in the second game of a doubleheader Thursday at Wolff Stadium.

The victory ended a nine-game Missions losing streak. The Hooks won Thursday’s first game 5-2.

Knehr (6-1) leads Missions pitchers in wins. He allowed two hits and struck out seven in five innings. James Reeves pitched the sixth. Nick Kuzia pitched the seventh for his first save of the season.

Jose Azocar’s broken bat single to left drove in Olivier Basabe and Chandler Seagle with the first runs of the game in the bottom of the third. Azocar also made a couple of catches against the fence later in the game.

Basabe, getting a start at second base with CJ Abrams out, drove in Allen Cordoba with the Missions’ final run in the bottom of the fourth. Abrams, who left Wednesday’s game after a collision with a teammate, did not see action in either game Thursday.

San Antonio Missions center fielder Jose Azocar tracks down a fly ball on the warning track in Thursday's second game at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions center fielder Jose Azocar tracks down a fly ball on the warning track in Thursday’s second game at Wolff Stadium.

Missions split series with Naturals

CJ Abrams doubled for the Missions' only extra-base hit of the game and drove in one of the team's two runs. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals beat the Missions 8-2 on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
CJ Abrams doubled for the Missions’ only extra-base hit of the game and drove in one of the team’s two runs. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals beat the Missions 8-2 on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals beat the San Antonio Missions 8-2 on Sunday at Wolff Stadium.

The teams split the six-game series 3-3.

The Missions managed only four hits Sunday. CJ Abrams had an RBI double and Kyle Overstreet had an RBI single. Jose Azocar and Allen Cordoba both singled and scored.

Missions starting pitcher Reggie Lawson left the game with two outs in the first and gave up three runs on two hits and two walks. Dylan Rheault finished the first inning and took care of the second.

Adrian Martinez took over on the mound in the third inning and pitched five innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits. Martinez has been a starter for most of the season but has come on in relief in all three of Martinez’s starts.

Missions outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who is out on the injured list, worked as the first base coach for part of the game.

The Missions are off on Monday and open a six-game road series against the Frisco RoughRiders on Tuesday. Frisco leads the Double-A Central League South Division with the Missions in second place.

Jack Suwinski, Missions stay hot in series opener against Naturals

Eguy Rosario slides into home to score the San Antonio Missions' first run of the game. The Missions beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 5-3 on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Eguy Rosario slides into home to score the Missions’ first run of the game.
Tuesday night in San Antonio followed a familiar pattern, and that’s a good thing for the Missions.

Jack Suwinski hit his 11th home run of the season and the Missions piled up 10 hits to beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 5-3 at Wolff Stadium in the opener of a six-game series.

The Missions have won five in a row and eight of their last nine. Suwinski has four home runs in the last three games.

Eguy Rosario had three hits and scored twice for the Missions and leadoff batter Jose Azocar had two hits and scored a run.

Rosario scored a rather unusual run in the bottom of the second inning. He broke from second base to steal third at the same moment as a wild pitch, allowing Rosario to come all the way around for the first run of the game.

Missions third baseman Allen Cordoba, in just his third game of the season, had a hit and a walk. He has had a hit or a walk or both in all three games. He also took a hard hit ball off his leg at or near his knee that was clearly painful, but he stayed in the game.

Missions starting pitcher Reggie Lawson, in his second game of the season, went two scoreless innings and struck out two batters. There was a rain delay after the second inning and he did not return, but wasn’t expected to make a long appearance.

Adrian Martinez, who has been a starter most of the season, pitched five innings and earned the win (2-3). He allowed three runs on four hits with five strikeouts.

Henry Henry pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Tom Cosgrove pitched the ninth to pick up his first save of the season.

Missions third baseman, outfielder Allen Cordoba: a first look

San Antonio Missions third baseman Allen Cordoba playing in his season debut on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
San Antonio Missions third baseman Allen Cordoba playing in his season debut on Saturday at Wolff Stadium.
Allen Cordoba played in 100 games for the San Diego Padres in 2017.

He spent 2018 and 2019 in the Class A Cal League and didn’t see action during 2020 when covid wiped out the minor league season.

Saturday night, Cordoba made his 2021 season debut and played above Class A for the first time in four seasons when he was in uniform for the San Antonio Missions.

Cordoba was in the lineup again for the Missions on Sunday afternoon, both games as the starting third baseman. Cordoba had two walks on Saturday and recorded his first two hits of the season, including a double, on Sunday.

Cordoba is a 25-year-old infielder/outfielder from Panama. He is listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, but looks bigger than that in person. He made his minor league debut in rookie league in 2013. He batted .301 with five home runs in the Cal League in 2019.

His 2017 season with the Padres, when he batted .208 with four home runs as a 21-year-old, was the only time he has spent in the majors.

Saturday night

Sunday afternoon

Jack Suwinski hits two more homers as Missions take 5 of 6 from Midland

Jack Suwinski hits his ninth home run of the season in the second inning on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. He homered again in the eighth inning. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jack Suwinski hits his ninth home run of the season in the second inning on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. He homered again in the eighth inning.
Right field at Wolff Stadium has historically been a place where most long fly balls die at the warning track.

That hasn’t stopped Jack Suwinski. The San Antonio Missions’ left-handed outfielder hit his ninth and 10th home runs of the season on Sunday in a 12-6 victory over the Midland RockHounds.

Suwinski hit his eighth homer of the season on Saturday night. All three weekend home runs soared out over right field.

Suwinski went 3-for-5 on Sunday and scored three times. The 22-year-old, who is playing his first season above Class A, batted 9-of-22 (.409) in the six-game home series against Midland as the Missions won five of the six games.

Missions third baseman Allen Cordoba, who made his season debut on Saturday, recorded his first two hits of the season including a double on Sunday.

The Missions’ CJ Abrams had three hits, two RBIs and two runs, and Jose Azocar and Michael Curry both had two hits.

Starting pitcher Reiss Knehr went five innings, giving up two runs in the first and holding Midland scoreless the next four innings to get the win (5-1). He allowed four hits and two walks and struck out six.

Missions left fielder Esteury Ruiz left the game in the top of the third. He was shaking his hand after sliding into second base in the bottom of the second.

Kyle Overstreet, who left Friday’s game after being hit in the face by a pitch, was not in the Missions’ lineup for the second day in a row.

Missions pitching stifles Midland, Jack Suwinski hits 8th homer

San Antonio Missions outfielder Jack Suwinski homered in the seventh inning of Saturday's victory over the Midland RockHounds at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions outfielder Jack Suwinski homered in the seventh inning of Saturday’s victory over the Midland RockHounds at Wolff Stadium.
San Antonio Missions pitchers extended their scoreless streak to 15 innings on Saturday.

After blanking the Midland RockHounds over the final five innings Friday, the Missions’ Aaron Leasher, Nick Kuzia and Jose Quezada threw a combined shutout in Saturday’s 2-0 victory at Wolff Stadium.

Leasher was the starter and improved his record to 3-2 by going 6.0 innings and allowing only one hit and one walk with four strikeouts. Kuzia went the next two innings and struck out four batters with no hits. Quezada pitched the ninth and earned his seventh save.

The Missions didn’t have a lot of offense with four hits, but some batters who have been hot lately came through again. Juan Fernandez, who homered and tripled on Friday, tripled again in the bottom of the fifth and scored on Brad Zunica’s double. Jack Suwinski hit his eighth homer of the season in the bottom of the seventh.

Allen Cordoba, who played with the San Diego Padres in 2017, made his season debut. He played third base and went 0-for-2 with two walks.

The Missions have won six of their last seven games. Their current six-game home series against Midland concludes on Sunday at 2:05 p.m.

San Antonio Missions starter Aaron Leasher pitched six innings and got the win in Saturday's victory over the Midland RockHounds at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions starter Aaron Leasher pitched six innings and got the win in Saturday’s victory over Midland.
The Missions' Juan Fernandez slides into third with a triple in front of San Antonio manager Phillip Wellman and the Missions' bullpen pitchers in Saturday's victory over the Midland RockHounds at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions’ Juan Fernandez slides into third with a triple in front of San Antonio manager Phillip Wellman and the Missions’ bullpen pitchers