Trent Grisham, Hernan Perez power Missions past River Cats in series opener

Hernan Perez (left) and David Freitas celebrate after Perez's fifth-inning home run. The San Antonio Missions to beat the Sacramento River Cats 8-4 Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Hernan Perez (left) and David Freitas celebrate after Perez’s fifth-inning home run. The Missions beat the Sacramento River Cats 8-4 Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
The San Antonio Missions had 12 hits including three home runs to beat the Sacramento River Cats 8-4 Tuesday at Wolff Stadium.

Trent Grisham homered twice and hit for the cycle and Hernan Perez had two hits including a home run. Grisham has 13 home runs since moving up from Double-A on June 20. Perez had five home runs in the last eight games.

David Freitas had two hits, walked once and scored twice.

Corbin Burnes started on the mound for the Missions and went two innings. The plan is for him to get reliever type innings, so the short was expected.

Thomas Jankins, usually a starter, had the longest stint on the mound. Jankins (10-3) went five innings and allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks to earn the win.

Alex Wilson and Angel Perdomo pitched one inning each to finish the game.

Missions rally in 9th to beat Cubs

The Missions celebrate after Jacob Nottinham scored the winning run on a ground ball by Trent Grisham on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions celebrate after Jacob Nottinham scored the winning run on a ground ball by Trent Grisham on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
The San Antonio Missions scratched out three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Iowa Cubs 4-3 on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions got the job done in the final inning without a longball or extra-base hit. They put together two singles, a walk, a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring ground ball.

(Cubs lead 3-1 going into bottom of the 9th)

– Nate Orf singles.

– Troy Stokes Jr. walks. Orf goes to second.

– Jacob Nottingham singles. Orf scores. Stokes goes to second. (Cubs lead 3-2)

– Lucas Erceg pinch-hits.

– Wild pitch. Stokes goes to third. Nottingham goes to second.

– Erceg sacrifice flies to right field. Stokes scores. Nottingham goes to third. (score tied 3-3)

– Trent Grisham chops a grounder to first. Nottingham slides and beats the throw at the plate for the winning run (Missions win 4-3).

The Missions’ other run scored on a solo home run by Hernan Perez in the fourth inning.

Missions split series with Storm Chasers; Brewers announce roster moves

Travis Shaw batting for the San Antonio Missions on Sunday at Wolff Stadium in his final game before returning to the Milwaukee Brewers. - photo by Joe Alexander
Travis Shaw batting for the Missions at Wolff Stadium in his final game before returning to the Brewers. – photo by Joe Alexander
The San Antonio Missions beat the Omaha Storm Chasers 8-3 Sunday at Wolff Stadium to earn a split of the four-game series.

The game marked the final appearance in a Missions uniform for the Milwaukee Brewers’ Travis Shaw. He was rehabbing from an injury.

Shaw was 1-of-2 and walked while batting second as the designated hitter. Shaw played in 10 games with San Antonio and batted .235 with one home run.

David Freitas, Troy Stokes Jr. and Jake Hager had two RBIs each for the Missions on Sunday.

Missions starting pitcher Thomas Jankins (4-2) got the win. He went five innings and gave up two earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

Roster moves

Missions right-handed pitcher Jacob Barnes was called up by the Brewers.

Missions right-handed pitcher Taylor Williams was called up by the Brewers.

Catcher Jacob Nottingham has been optioned from the Brewers back to the Missions.

Missions catcher and Brewers prospect Jacob Nottingham

San Antonio Missions and Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jacob Nottingham playing for San Antonio this season at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions catcher Jacob Nottingham, playing for San Antonio this season at Wolff Stadium, was called up by the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. – photo by Joe Alexander
Jacob Nottingham had seen time as both a catcher and first baseman with the San Antonio Missions this season.

Nottingham was called up to the majors on Thursday when an injury left the Milwaukee Brewers in need of another catcher.

In 26 games with Triple-A San Antonio, Nottingham hit .247 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. He was on a hot streak before called up, recording hits in 9 of his last 12 games with the Missions and hitting .324 in that stretch.

Nottingham played in nine games with the Brewers last season and 50 games in Triple-A.

Jake Hager has another walk-off hit for Missions

The San Antonio Missions' Jake Hager (right) and Jacob Nottingham celebrate after Hager's walk-off hit against the New Orleans Baby Cakes on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium - photo by Joe Alexander
The Missions’ Jake Hager (right) and Jacob Nottingham celebrate after Hager’s walk-off hit. – photo by Joe Alexander
Twice in three days, Jake Hager stepped up to the plate with the game on the line.

Both times Hager came through with a hit that gave the San Antonio Missions a victory.

After producing a walk-off hit on Sunday at Wolff Stadium, Hager did it again Tuesday night.

This time Hager’s single in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Missions a 1-0 victory over the New Orleans Baby Cakes.

Under the extra-innings rule, the Missions started the bottom of the 10th with Cory Spangenberg on second base. Nate Orf had a bunt single to advance Spangenberg to third. Jacob Nottingham got an intentional walk to load the bases.

That brought Hager to the plate. He responded with his 12th RBI of the season.

The Missions used five pitchers to combine for the 10-inning shutout. Aaron Wilkerson started and pitched five innings. Alex Wilson (1-0) pitched the top of the 10th inning and got the win. The Missions got the final two outs in the top of the 10th with a double play.

San Antonio Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon turns a double play that ended the top of the 10th inning and kept the game scoreless on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon turns a double play that ended the top of the 10th inning and kept the game scoreless. – photo by Joe Alexander
  • Jake Hager’s walk-off hit gives Missions dramatic win over Express
  • Missions play musical outfielders and shuffle their catchers

    David Freitas, like all the Missions' catchers, also plays first base. - photo by Joe Alexander
    David Freitas, like all the Missions’ catchers, also plays first base. – photo by Joe Alexander
    Among the oddities on the roster of the Triple-A San Antonio Missions:

    There is currently only one active player on the roster listed as an outfielder and there are four players listed as catchers.

    Tyrone Taylor was the Missions’ only active outfielder on Sunday. And he didn’t start in Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Oklahoma City Dodgers at Wolff Stadium.

    Corey Ray and Troy Stokes Jr. are listed on the roster as outfielders, but are both currently on the injured list. Ray was the Missions’ main center fielder to start the season. Taylor played primarily in right, but had been playing center with Ray out.

    Sunday’s starting outfielders on Sunday were Jake Hager in left, Cory Spangenberg in center and Nate Orf in right. All three are listed on the roster as infielders.

    Spangenberg has seen action all over the field this season. He has played first base, third base, shortstop, left field and now center field.

    While the Missions are short on players listed as outfielders, they have four active players listed as catchers: Skyler Ewing, David Freitas, Tuffy Gosewisch and Jacob Nottingham. All four got into the game on Sunday. All four have also gotten work as first basemen this season.

    Twice during Sunday’s game, three of them batted in a row and the other was coaching first base. The Missions use a player as a first base coach, so that part of the equation wasn’t unusual.

    Freitas was the No. 7 batter in the order on Sunday and played first base. Nottingham was No. 8 in the order and played catcher.

    In the fifth inning, after Freitas and Nottingham batted, Gosewisch went to the plate as a pinch-hitter. Ewing was coaching first base.

    In the seventh inning, after Freitas and Nottingham batted, Ewing went to the plate as a pinch-hitter. Gosewisch was coaching first base.

    Missions fall to Dodgers in series finale

    Oklahoma City's Matt Beaty (right) is greeted at the plate after hitting a third-inning home run against San Antonio on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    Oklahoma City’s Matt Beaty (right) is greated at the plate after hitting a third-inning home run. – photo by Joe Alexander
    Oklahoma City’s Matt Beaty hit a three-run homer in the third inning and the Dodgers beat the San Antonio Missions 4-1 Sunday at Wolff Stadium.

    The meeting was the finale of a five-game series and snapped the Missions’ six-game win streak.

    Dodgers starting pitcher Daniel Corcino (2-1) pitched 5 1/3 innings for the win. Missions starter Thomas Jankins (1-1) pitched five innings, gave up the homer to Beaty, and took the loss.

    Missions blank Dodgers again

    Relief pitcher Miguel Sanchez got the win as three Missions pitchers combined for a shutout in a 6-0 victory over the Dodgers on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    Relief pitcher Miguel Sanchez got the win as three Missions pitchers combined for a shutout in a 6-0 victory over the Dodgers on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions shut out the Oklahoma City Dodgers for the second time in the last three games with a 6-0 victory Saturday at Wolff Stadium.

    It was the sixth straight win for the Missions, including the first four games of the current series.

    Missions reliever Miguel Sanchez (1-2) entered the game in the fifth inning and pitched 2 1/3 innings to earn the win.

    Missions starter Corbin Burnes went 4 2/3 innings, leaving the game one out short of having a chance for the win. He allowed three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Jon Olczak pitched the last two innings.

    San Antonio left fielder Cory Spangenberg hit his second home run of the season in the fourth inning.

    Mauricio Dubon, Keston Hiura and David Freitas had three hits each for the Missions. Spangenberg, Nate Orf and Jacob Nottingham had two hits each as the Missions finished with 15 hits.

    Huira’s homers power Missions past Dodgers

    Keston Hiura celebrates as he nears home after hitting his first home run of the game in the Missions' 4-3 victory over the Oklahoma City Dodgers on Friday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    Keston Hiura celebrates as he nears home after hitting his first home run of the game. – photo by Joe Alexander
    Keston Hiura hit his sixth and seventh home runs of the season Friday as the San Antonio Missions beat the Oklahoma City Dodgers 4-3 at Wolff Stadium.

    Hiura hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning off of Dodgers starting pitcher Brock Stewart. Hiura added a solo home run in the seventh inning off of reliever Zach McAllister.

    Hiura also doubled and walked. He scored twice and had three RBIs and raised his season batting average to .316.

    Missions catcher Jacob Nottingham had an RBI single in the second inning for the team’s other run.

    San Antonio starting pitcher Zack Brown earned his first win of the season. He pitched five innings and allowed five hits and one earned run. He struck out five batters and had three walks.

    Missions closer Jay Jackson entered the game in the eighth inning with a man on base and no outs. He recorded the final six outs and picked up his third save.

    Sounds win series finale against Missions

    Lucas Erceg had two hits including a two-run homer. The Sounds beat the Missions 10-5 Monday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    Lucas Erceg had two hits including a two-run homer. The Sounds beat the Missions 10-5 Monday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
    The Nashville Sounds had 10 hits including four home runs to beat the San Antonio Missions 10-5 on Monday at Wolff Stadium.

    The Missions play their next seven games on the road beginning Tuesday night against the Memphis Redbirds.

    Willie Calhoun, Jett Bandy, Hunter Cole and Matt Davidson homered for the Sounds.

    The Missions had 15 hits. Tyrone Taylor had four hits, one RBI and one run scored. Lucas Erceg had two hits including his third home run of the season.

    Keston Hiura had a double and a triple. Corey Ray also had two hits.