The Missions’ Tyrone Taylor slides into home with the final run of the game on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderJake Hager, who had two walk-off hits early in the season, didn’t wait until the ninth inning this time.
Hager drove in Tyrone Taylor in the bottom of the eighth with the winning run as the San Antonio Missions beat the Iowa Cubs 2-1 on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium.
Taylor led off the eighth with a single. Hager came up with one out and doubled to left to bring in Taylor and break the 1-1 tie.
That was the only at-bat of the game for Hager, who entered the game in the top of the eighth inning as part of a double-switch.
Missions starting pitcher Burch Smith went six innings and did not get a decision. He allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Missions reliever Taylor (3-1) got the last out in the eighth and got the win. Jay Jackson pitched the top of the ninth and notched his seventh save of the season.
David Freitas, like all the Missions’ catchers, also plays first base. – photo by Joe AlexanderAmong 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.
Keston Hiura celebrates as he nears home after hitting his first home run of the game. – photo by Joe AlexanderKeston 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.
Lucas Erceg had two hits including a two-run homer. The Sounds beat the Missions 10-5 Monday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderThe 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.
Jay Jackson pitches the ninth inning to get the save Sunday. The Missions beat the Sounds 5-4 at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderTyler Saladino kept up his hot hitting with a two-run triple as the San Antonio Missions beat the Nashville Sounds 5-4 Sunday afternoon at Wolff Stadium.
Saladino hit three home runs over the previous two games. He is now batting .294 for the season.
Saladino singled in the second inning Sunday and scored the first run of the game when Tuffy Gosewisch drew a bases-loaded walk.
Saladino tripled in the fifth inning to drive in Corey Ray and Tyrone Taylor and give the Missions a 3-0 lead.
The Sounds scored two runs in the top of the sixth on solo home runs by Willie Calhoun homers and Matt Davidson. That trimmed the Missions’ lead to 3-2.
Mauricio Dubon and Keston Hiura both had run-scoring hits in the bottom of the sixth to stretch the Missions’ lead back to 5-2.
The Sounds made it close on a two-run homer by Andy Ibanez in the top of the eighth.
Missions starting pitcher Adrian Houser earned his first win of the season. He held the Sounds scoreless for five innings before giving up the two home runs in the sixth inning. Jay Jackson pitched the ninth inning and got his first save of the season.
The four-game series between the Missions and Sounds concludes early Monday with an 11:05 a.m. first pitch at Wolff Stadium.
Tyler Saladino is congratulated by third base coach Ned Yost IV as Saladino rounds the bases after hitting his second home run of the game Saturday against the Sounds at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderTyler Saladino hit two home runs as the San Antonio Missions beat the Nashville Sounds 5-3 Saturday night at Wolff Stadium.
On Friday night, Saladino hit an inside-the-park home run.
One night later, he powered two long balls over the left-field fence.
Saladino hit a two-run homer with Cory Spangenberg on base in the second inning. Saladino hit a solo shot in the seventh inning.
The Missions scored two more runs on a two-run double by Keston Hiura in the seventh inning to take a 5-1 lead.
The Sounds also got two home runs: from Andy Ibanez in the top of the second inning and from Adam Moore in the eighth.
Missions starting pitcher Burch Smith earned his first win of the season. He went six innings, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
Lucas Erceg dives into home in the second inning with the Flying Chanclas’ first run of the game. – photo by Joe AlexanderThe San Antonio Missions, playing as the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio, fell to the Memphis Redbirds 6-3 Thursday at Wolff Stadium.
The Missions won the previous two games in the series with ninth-inning rallies.
The Missions briefly led after scoring three runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 3-2 lead. Nate Orf had an RBI double, Cory Spangenberg had an RBI single and Jacob Nottingham had an RBI double.
The Redbirds tied it 3-3 with a run in the top of the third and took the lead with three runs in the top of the seventh.
Missions outfielder Tyrone Taylor talks to Jerry Briggs at media day on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderThe San Antonio Missions beat the Oklahoma City Dodgers 5-3 on the road Thursday night.
It was San Antonio’s first game in Triple-A.
Tyrone Taylor scored the Missions’ historic first run in Triple-A.
Taylor led off the second inning with a home run off of pitcher Clayton Kershaw. The Missions’ Troy Stokes scored later in the inning to give the Missions a 2-0 lead.
Kershaw, a Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, was starting for Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment.
The same teams meet again Friday night at 7:05 p.m. in Oklahoma City.
