Hooks Survive 13 Inning Affair in Alamo City

SAN ANTONIO - The Hooks took the lead three times in extra innings, before Patrick Urckfitz made Telvin Nash's 13th-inning sacrifice fly hold up as the winning run in Corpus Christi's 7-6 win over San Antonio Wednesday afternoon before 4,723 at Wolff Stadium.

The game was tied 6-6 in the top of the 13th when Jio Mier walked, went to third on an errant pick-off throw and scored on Nash's fly ball to left field to give the Hooks their second extra-inning win in three days.

Colton Cain returned from the disabled list to make the 11:00 AM start for Corpus Christi against San Diego Padre starter Casey Kelly, who is making his way back to the big leagues after he underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2013.

Cain allowed just one run in three innings in his return to action, but the Hooks could not solve his counterpart.

Kelly allowed three runs, just one earned, on five hits in his six innings. Two of the runs scored on Joe Sclafani's two-out, bases-loaded single in the second, which immediately followed an error committed by Missions shortstop Brian Bixler. The Sclafani single made it 3-1 Hooks through three.

Jordan Jankowski relieved Cain in the fourth inning and served up a two-run home run to Austin Hedges, his second of the year, to tie the game at three. Rymer Liriano took a 1-2 pitch from Jankowski out of Wolff Stadium to lead off the sixth and give the Missions a 4-3 lead.

The Hooks tied the game in the seventh inning on Sclafani's first home run against Leonel Campos, and the scored stay tied at four through nine innings thanks in no small part to Andrew Aplin gunning down Hedges at the plate for third out in the bottom of the ninth.

Aplin doubled with one out in the 10th and scored on Preston Tucker's double, but Liriano hit his second homer of the game with two outs in the bottom of the inning off of Jorge De Leon to tie the game at five.

Neither team scored in the 11th, before it was déjà vu in the 12th. Sclafani led off with a single and scored when Hedges made a throwing error. With two outs in the bottom of the inning and two strikes on Jake Lemmerman, Travis Ballew (2-0) gave up Lemmerman's second long ball of the series to re-tie the game at six.

In the top of the 13th Mier walked, moved to second on the throwing error by pitcher Luis De La Cruz (0-4) and scored on Nash's sacrifice fly to give Corpus Christi its final lead at 7-6. Urckfitz battled through a 14 pitch plate appearance by Hedges to record his second save.

The final game of the series is Thursday at 7:05 PM, before the Hooks return to Whataburger Field to begin a four-game homestand Friday against Midland.