Burgess Bombs Missions
CORPUS CHRISTI - Michael Burgess hit his first two home runs of the year and established the Corpus Christi single-game RBI standard with eight as the Hooks rolled San Antonio 13-3 Monday night at Whataburger Field before 6,186.
Burgess' second homer - a blast over the right-field bullpen off reliever Ryan Kelly - provided the Hooks with an 11-2 cushion through five. A two-run double the next inning gave him 16 RBI's in 2013, twice as many as he had through Sunday.
Jake Buchanan, the Texas League ERA leader (1.04), ran his record to 3-0. Buchanan faced the minimum during four shutout frames in relief of Carlos Quevedo.
San Antonio had Quevedo backed in a corner right off the bat, but the right-hander wriggled out of a two-on, one-out jam by getting ground balls from Kalian Sams and Johan Limonta.
Corpus Christi wasted no time against Donn Roach (2-4). Jiovanni Mier slapped a lead-off double down the left-field line and was pushed to third by Ben Orloff's sacrifice bunt. Then came George Springer, who belted his minor league-leading 13th home run 402 feet over the Goodwill Zone in left field.
It was the first round-tripper allowed by Roach in eight starts, a span of 35 2/3 innings.
Jonathan Meyer's bomb the same direction started the home second and made it 3-0 Hooks.
Corpus Christi broke the contest wide open with a two-out, five-run, five-hit third. Domingo Santana, Max Stassi, Meyer (RBI) and Erik Castro (RBI) singled consecutively before Burgess unloaded his first home run, a shot to the left-field berm.
The Missions then mustered a pair as Jake Blackwood homered in the wake of Quevedo's walk to Limonta.
Quevedo scattered five hits and walked three - the last of which prompted his exit - in four-plus innings.
Roach failed to record an out in the fifth as well. He was socked for 10 hits, 10 runs, walked three and recorded three strikeouts.
Meyer finished with four of the Hooks' season-high 15 hits.
Bobby Doran (5-0) pitches for the Hooks Tuesday at 7:05 against Jose De Paula (2-3). It's Half-Price Group Night, presented by AutoNation.