Mazur Tosses Quality Start as Flying Chanclas Fall to Amarillo 

SAN ANTONIO – The Flying Chanclas de San Antonio returned to Wolff Stadium to take on the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Both teams placed a plethora of runners on base throughout the game. Ultimately, the Flying Chanclas stranded 11 runners, which came back to bite them. Amarillo’s clutch hitting helped them overtake San Antonio for a 4-2 Thursday night victory.

Adam Mazur got the ball to start for the Flying Chanclas. After a 1-2-3 first inning, Mazur allowed two singles to begin the second. The runners didn’t faze the right-hander, as he retired the next three Sod Poodles to end the frame.

Amarillo’s starter, Luke Albright, walked a batter in the first but left him there. The second inning also kicked off with Albright walking a Flying Chancla, but the result mirrored the one from the first as San Antonio failed to move him around.

The top of San Antonio’s order sparked a rally in the third. Jakob Marsee singled and stole second before advancing to third on a walk. Jackson Merrill then walked, so runners filled the corners with just one away. Albright induced a ground ball double play off the bat of Marcos Castañon, however, to keep the game scoreless.

In the top of the fourth, Amarillo broke through against Mazur. Ivan Melendez singled for the second time and reached third with no outs following Seth Beer’s double. Deyvison De Los Santos then grounded out softly to second, bringing a run home. With two away, Jancarlos Cintron lined a ball that center fielder Marsee nearly hauled in, but it rattled out of his glove and made it 2-0 in favor of the Sod Poodles.

Melendez continued his tear with his third single of the night in just the fifth inning. This one drove in a run, making it a 3-0 Amarillo advantage. Melendez tried to score on a Beer single, but Cole Cummings gunned him down with a laser from left field to end the inning.

Albright walked on a tightrope all night, and the fifth inning proved to be his finest escape act. He walked the bases loaded with the heart of the Flying Chanclas order due up in the form of Merrill and Castañon. Unfortunately for the home team, Albright buckled up and stranded all three runners to maintain a three-run lead.

The Sod Poodles turned to the bullpen in the sixth. Dillon Larsen entered and mowed down the three batters he faced. The Flying Chanclas also sought relief when Jason Blanchard replaced Mazur. Camden Duzenack greeted Blanchard with a double, and he hustled home on a Caleb Roberts grounder that snuck into center field. Blanchard limited the damage to just that, but Amarillo’s advantage stood at 4-0 going into the seventh inning stretch.

Just like Albright, Raffi Vizcaino flirted with disaster as the newest Sod Poodle pitcher in the bottom of the seventh. A single and a walk gave San Antonio some hope, but the Flying Chanclas were again unable to dent the run column.

San Antonio finally broke through in the eighth. After Castañon reached, Graham Pauley doubled to place two runners in scoring position and send Vizcaino to the dugout. Nathan Martorella then walked to load the bases with nobody out. Kyle Backhus, Amarillo’s newest pitcher, forced Michael De La Cruz into a double play that did plate the first run of the night for the Flying Chanclas. Cummings followed with a single to right, so San Antonio cut the deficit to 4-2 headed to the ninth.

After Justin Lopez bridged the game right back to the San Antonio offense, Backhus squashed any hopes of a Flying Chanclas comeback. Castañon reached with a hit, but the game concluded with the tying run, Pauley, grounding out to finish off an Amarillo win.

Post-Game Notes

• Final Score: 4-2
• With the loss, San Antonio falls to 23-25 & 60-57 on the season
• Adam Mazur (Chanclas starter): L, 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 6 K
• Luke Albright (Sod Poodles starter): W, 5 IP, 2 H, 6 BB, 3 K
• Attendance: 3,507

Prospect Recap

• Ethan Salas (#1 Padres prospect, #5 MLB): DNP
• Jackson Merrill (#2 Padres prospect, #9 MLB): 0-3, 2 BB, K
• Robby Snelling (#3 Padres prospect, #64 MLB): DNP
• Jairo Iriarte (#6 Padres prospect): Scheduled to pitch Saturday, August 26th
• Adam Mazur (#7 Padres prospect): L, 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 6 K
• Nathan Martorella (#10 Padres prospect): 0-2, 2 BB
• Graham Pauley (#11 Padres prospect): 2-5, R
• Jakob Marsee (#12 Padres prospect): 1-3, 2 BB, K
• Ryan Bergert (#16 Padres prospect): Scheduled to pitch Friday, August 25th
• Marcos Castañon (#23 Padres prospect): 1-5, R, K
• Deyvison De Los Santos (#5 D-Backs prospect): 1-4, RBI
• Ivan Melendez (#8 D-Backs prospect): 3-4, R, RBI
• A.J. Vukovich (#10 D-Backs prospect): DNP
• J.J. D’Orazio (#25 D-Backs prospect): DNP

The San Antonio Missions will continue their six-game series with the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Saturday night. Right-hander Jairo Iriarte (0-1, 3.21) is scheduled to pitch for the Missions. The Sod Poodles have yet to announce a starter. Saturday’s first pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m.

*******

The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The 2023 season is the 121st professional season for the San Antonio Missions. Postseason tickets are on sale now! Season seat memberships, as well as group tickets, for the 2023 season are available now. Call 210-675-PARK to discuss pricing for season tickets, group tickets and hospitality. Single game tickets are on sale now. The Missions Box Office will be cashless this season. Fans can purchase tickets at the box office using credit cards. For more information on the upcoming season call 210-675-PARK (7275) or visit samissions.com.