Fontana Salvages Split

SAN ANTONIO - Nolan Fontana's 12th-inning home run gave the Hooks a 6-5 triumph in the resumption of Monday night's game, but Corpus Christi couldn't win twice in one day as San Antonio picked up a 7-4 victory in the nightcap.

The umpires suspended Monday's game at 10:03 PM with one out in the top of the 10th inning after torrential rain drenched Wolff Stadium. The game started again at 6:02 PM Tuesday with Patrick Urckfitz (1-1) entering the game for the Hooks against San Antonio's Frank Garces.

Each team put runners in scoring position in the 11th inning and failed to score. With the wind whipping out to right field and one out in the top of the 12th, Fontana pulled a line drive down the right field line that snuck over the fence for his first home run. It came off of Luis De La Cruz (0-3) and gave the Hooks a 6-5 lead.

Travis Ballew trotted in from the bullpen to finish the game and record his third save of the season.

In Tuesday's scheduled game, left-hander Luis Cruz started for Corpus Christi against the Missions' Tim Sexton, who flew in from Triple-A El Paso to make a spot start for San Antonio.

Cruz (3-4) did not pitch well, and recorded just one out - it was the shortest start of the southpaw's career. He allowed a bunt singled to Casey McElroy in the first, retired Adam Buschini, but then walked the next three hitters to force in a run. Jake Lemmerman followed with a 14-pitch at-bat that resulted in a grand slam, his first home run of the season, to put the Missions in front 5-0.

The slam chased Cruz from the game and Andrew Robinson followed, going three and two-thirds shutout innings to keep it a five-run game.

Meanwhile the Hooks could not get their offense started against Sexton (1-0). The veteran right-hander allowed runners to reach second base or further in just two of his five shutout innings and earned the win.

Alex Sogard followed Robinson on the mound for Corpus Christi, as rain fell throughout the middle innings. Sogard started the fifth and retired the side in order. He ran into trouble in the sixth, yielding a one-out double to Lemmerman before Lee Orr belted his fifth long ball of the season to put the Missions on top 7-0.

The Hooks' offense tried to climb back into the game late with two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings, including Telvin Nash's third dinger of the season, but could not claw all the way back. Missions closer Johnny Barbato set down the three Corpus Christi hitters he faced in the ninth for his 11th save of the year as San Antonio held on 7-4.

The I-37 Series resumes Wednesday at 11:05 AM, with Jordan Jankowski (0-1, 3.93) taking the hill for Corpus Christi, against Casey Kelly, who is making a rehab start for San Antonio's parent club, the San Diego Padres. The game can heard on KUNO 1400 AM and cchooks.com.