Bullish Night for Hooks Pen

SAN ANTONIO - Ryan Deemes and Jacob Dorris combined for four shutout innings of relief as the Hooks upended the Missions 4-2 Sunday night at Wolff Municipal Stadium.

Corpus Christi (37-32, 84-55) has won six of the final seven regular-season series. The exception was a four-game split at Frisco to begin the road trip.

Following an hour and 23 minute rain delay, the Hooks posted a pair in the first against Jerry Keel (0-2). Antonio Nunez opened with a walk and scored on Bobby Boyd's double down the left-field line. Nick Tanielu, celebrating his 24th birthday, later capped the rally with an RBI groundout.

The Missions (36-33, 58-81) answered in the home half when Ryan Miller and Nick Schulz hit back-to-back doubles. With two away in the second, Austin Allen homered to right field, leveling the score at 2.

Kent Emanuel kept San Antonio off the board over his final three innings of work. Emanuel (6-4) struck out a career-high eight batters and walked two. With a pair in scoring position, the lefty fanned Gabriel Quintana to finish his night.

Corpus Christi grabbed the lead in the third. Boyd hit a lead-off infield single. Nunez followed with a sac bunt and J.D. Davis added a two-out RBI base hit into left field.

Davis belted a no-doubt home run over the left-field fence in the eighth, giving the Hooks a 4-2 edge.

Deemes dodged a triple in the sixth and a one-out single in the seventh. Dorris handled the final two innings for his fourth save. The former Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islander has struck out 16 and walked one in 9 2/3 Texas League innings.

The Hooks aim for the sweep Monday. Cy Sneed (6-5, 4.22) faces Missions lefty Tim Berry (2-4, 7.78) in the 2:05 Labor Day matinee.