Breaking Through

The Missions played 34 games before they finally won in walk-off fashion. All it took was 23 baserunners, a near Texas League record and a bat that died a hero to make it happen.

Mitch Canham's tenth-inning, broken-bat, bloop single through the first-base hole brought home Craig Cooper from second base to give the Missions a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Midland RockHounds in front of 5,305 at Wolff Stadium Thursday night. The dramatic nature of the win helped sooth the sting of the 19 runners the Missions left on base, easily a season-high.

The Missions scored once again in the first inning, plating two on Cedric Hunter's two-out double past Midland first baseman Chris Carter, down the line into the right field corner. Hunter finished the game 3-for-6 with a double and three RBI, and factored in all of the Missions scoring.

San Antonio has scored in the first inning in 18 of their first 34 games, but has won only 10 of those contests.

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Luis Durango bunted for an infield single to keep the inning alive. Then, on the first pitch to Kellen Kulbacki, he stole second base. The swipe was his 19th of the year, tying his career high set in the Dominican Summer League back in 2005. However, Durango was caught 13 times that year, while he has been successful in all but six attempts so far this season.

In the top of the fourth, Midland catcher Anthony Recker deposited a shot over wall in the corner in left field, a spot that has become quite popular for Midland hitters in their time spent in San Antonio. The bomb tied the game at 2-2, and was nearly identical to the home run hit by Tommy Everidge that gave the RockHounds the lead the night before.

The Missions left two runners on base in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, all without scoring a run as Midland came back to tie the game. In the sixth, San Antonio loaded the bases with one out for their hottest hitter, Craig Cooper. But Cooper struck out swinging, leaving it up to Cedric Hunter to try to break the drought. Hunter chopped a ball over Midland reliever Rocky Roquet's head toward second base, and RockHounds' second baseman Michael Affronti fielded the ball just as Mike Baxter was passing him on the way to second. The two made contact, and Affronti was unable to make a throw to first, allowing the go-ahead run to score.

Affronti immediately motioned to the umpires for a runner's interference call against Baxter, and Midland manager Darren Bush stormed out of the dugout in protest. But no call was made, and Bush was tossed from the game by third-base umpire Brad Myers. It was the second consecutive game to start the series in which a manager has been ejected, following the Missions' Terry Kennedy last night.

Canham struck out looking on a borderline pitch on the inside corner to end the inning, stranding the bases loaded. The Missions loaded the bases again in the seventh on two walks and a hit batter, but again left them loaded. The team left 15 on-base through the first seven innings, 17 through nine, and 19 aboard in all. The 17 left fell three shy of the all-time, nine-inning Texas League record of 20, set by Oklahoma City against Shreveport on August 22, 1949.

In the ninth, Recker went yard again, this time on a moonshot to straightaway left field, tying the game at 3-3, handing Missions closer Evan Scribner his first blown save of the season. However, Canham's clutch hit delivered the reliever's first victory instead. Recker finished the game 3-for-3 with a walk, two homers, two RBI and all three RockHounds runs.

Missions starter, southpaw Nathan Culp, turned in easily his best performance of the month. After allowing 13 earned runs over 9.0 innings through his first two starts in May, Culp yielded just two earned on four hits and three walks over 6.0 innings, escaping a jam in the sixth to end his night.

WP: Scribner (1-1); LP: Heuser (0-1); HR: Recker 2 (3)