210GAMEDAY.COM | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
Shane McGuire, Greg Deichmann and Lawrence Butler hit home runs for Midland. The RockHounds took the lead for good with four runs in the top of the seventh inning.
The Missions had 11 hits including two each from Ripken Reyes, Cole Cummings, Pedro Castellanos and Chandler Seagle. Castellanos and Seagle each had a double.
The Wichita Wind Surge beat the Missions 8-7 despite 14 San Antonio hits including home runs by Pedro Castellanos and Ray-Patrick Didder. Missions catcher Chandler Seagle had a career-high four hits including his first triple.
Wichita’s Alerick Soularie hit two home runs – a solo shot in the second inning and a three-run homer in the sixth.
Castellanos hit his sixth home run in the season with one on in the seventh inning. Didder hit his first of the season with one on in the bottom of the ninth to get the Missions within one run.
Seagle singled in the second inning in his first at-bat. He tripled in the fourth inning and singled again in the sixth. Seagle’s final-at bat was an RBI single in the eighth that closed Wichita’s lead to 7-5.
The San Antonio Missions never led Tuesday night until the final batter of the game.
Tirso Ornelas went to bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Missions trailing the Wichita Wind Surge 5-3. Ornelas ripped a line drive to center that drove in Connor Hollis, Ray-Patrick Didder and Ripken Reyes to win the game 6-5.
The Missions’ Pedro Castellanos led off the frame with a walk and was replaced by Hollis, a pinch-runner. Didder walked and then Reyes was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Wichita scored three runs in the top of the first first inning and two runs in the second inning to lead 5-0.
Yorman Rodriguez hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth, his second homer since joining the Missions on May 31. A Cole Cummings ground out drove in a run and Castellanos had an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 5-3.
The Missions’ bullpen kept them in the game after the Wind Surge’s fast start. Lake Bachar, Kevin Kopps and Michel Baez (W 2-0) combined to hold Wichita to no runs and two hits over the final seven innings.
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.
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.
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.
