Acuña Blasts Homer in Fourth Straight Game, Missions Outlast Sod Poodles in Extra Innings
AMARILLO, Texas (April 24, 2025) – A season-high 13 runs on a season-high 17 hits proved to be enough for the San Antonio Missions to end up above the Amarillo Sod Poodles in a topsy-turvy 13-11 win in ten innings. In the tenth inning, Francisco Acuña lifted a three-run homer
AMARILLO, Texas (April 24, 2025) – A season-high 13 runs on a season-high 17 hits proved to be enough for the San Antonio Missions to end up above the Amarillo Sod Poodles in a topsy-turvy 13-11 win in ten innings. In the tenth inning, Francisco Acuña lifted a three-run homer to right-field, a game-winning shot that made this the fourth straight game with a home run for Acuña.
Eight Missions recorded a hit, and six earned multiple hits. Marcos Castañon plated four runs on three hits while Joshua Mears belted his first two homers of the 2025 season. Five Missions pitchers combined to get the job done, as Manuel Castro picked up the win and Ryan Och secured the save.
The Missions jumped ahead in the first against Amarillo starter Spencer Giesting with three consecutive singles from Acuña, Devin Ortiz and Romeo Sanabria. Then in the second, Mears hit the first of his two homers to give San Antonio a 2-0 lead.
San Antonio starter Braden Nett tossed a clean first, but Andy Weber broke through in the second with a bloop two-RBI single that tied the game. Castañon answered in the third to put the Missions ahead 3-2 with a run-scoring single, but Amarillo responded themselves with a Christian Cerda RBI double. After three innings, the game stood tied at 3-3.
Amarillo leapt in front in the fourth when LuJames Groover drove in a pair with a double and Gavin Conticello brought another home on a groundout, all off of Nett. San Antonio didn’t let the game get away, however, grabbing two back in the fifth thanks to a Moisès Gòmez double and Castañon sacrifice fly to make it 6-5 in favor of Amarillo.
Miguel Cienfuegos took over for Nett in the fifth, and he came out ready to fire. He worked around a single to keep it at just a one-run deficit heading to the sixth. That’s when Mears towered a game-tying homer down the left-field line, his second of the game.
Cienfuegos set down the Soddies in order in the sixth and got the Missions right back to the plate for the seventh, where they would take the lead. With Logan Clayton on the mound out of the bullpen, the first two men reached ahead of a Castañon RBI double off the wall. Mears followed by nearly belting his third homer, but it was caught by Caleb Roberts at the warning track, yet it was still good enough for another run and an 8-6 Missions lead.
After jumping ahead, San Antonio kept Cienfuegos on the mound. Conticello and Cerda roped back-to-back doubles to quickly make it 8-7. A Roberts single covered the corners with no one out, creating major trouble for Cienfuegos. A visit to the mound from pitching coach Jeff Andrews calmed him down, and Cienfuegos managed to strike out Ivan Melendez before forcing Manuel Peña into a massive inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Landon Sims entered for the Sod Poodles in the eighth, and he couldn’t hold the Missions down. Acuña doubled and scampered home on an Ortiz single, extending San Antonio’s advantage to 9-7.
Eduarniel Nùñez was given the task of holding the lead, but the Sod Poodles prevented him from succeeding. Weber reached on a walk, and with a 3-0 count, Kristian Robinson got the green light necessary to send a two-run blast over the wall. Just like that, the scoreboard read 9-9.
San Antonio turned to Castro, and he escaped the eighth with no further damage. Zane Russell pitched a scoreless ninth for the Sod Poodles, and Castro matched him in the bottom half to send the game into extra innings.
Russell remained on the mound for Amarillo. After a strikeout, a Wyatt Hoffman single placed himself and the ghost runner at the corners with one out in the tenth, setting the stage for Acuña’s heroic swing. He crushed a ball to the opposite field and landed it on the Hodgetown berm in right-center field, catapulting the Missions ahead 12-9. Castañon added an important insurance run with a single, so San Antonio led 13-9.
Castro continued to pitch in the tenth, but he met resistance. Robinson doubled home two runs to make it 13-11 and bring the tying-run to the plate. Castro retired Groover, but manager Luke Montz turned to the lefty Och to face the lefty Conticello. That turned out to be a wise decision, as Och got Conticello to fly out and end this wacky game in favor of the Missions.
UP NEXT:
The Missions continue their six-game series in Amarillo on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. Left-hander Jackson Wolf (2-0, 1.29) goes for the Missions while right-hander Roman Angelo (0-2, 11.20) starts for Amarillo. Catch all the action on Country Legends KKYX, 680 AM, 104.9 FM and kkyx.com.
#
The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The 2025 season will be the 123rd professional season for the San Antonio Missions. The 2025 schedule is out now! Call 210-675- 7275 to discuss pricing for season tickets, group tickets and hospitality packages. The Missions Box Office is cashless, and fans can purchase tickets using credit cards. For more information, call 210-675-7275 or visit samissions.com.
Big Night for Roberts Not Enough as RockHounds Storm Back to Beat Missions
MIDLAND, Texas (May 15, 2025) – Despite jumping out to a 5-0 lead, the San Antonio Missions (17-19) gave up nine unanswered runs at one point and fell 9-6 to the Midland RockHounds (22-14). Cody Roberts finished a double shy of the cycle for the Missions, driving in four runs
RockHounds Silence Missions on Wednesday Night
MIDLAND, Texas (May 14, 2025) – Left-hander Greg Jump tossed six scoreless innings in his Double-A debut to help the Midland RockHounds (21-14) shut out the San Antonio Missions (17-18). Jump, an LSU product, earned the win, while Victor Lizarraga suffered the 6-0 defeat. A Junior Perez two-run homer, three
19 Hits Give RockHounds Series Opener Over Missions
MIDLAND, Texas (May 13, 2025) – The Midland RockHounds (20-14) pounded 19 hits in a 14-6 Tuesday afternoon win against the San Antonio Missions (17-17). The 19 hits are the most allowed by the Missions so far in 2025. Henry Bolte drove in four runs on four hits and finished
Valenzuela’s Eighth-Inning Homer Secures Series Split for San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO (May 11, 2025) – Brandon Valenzuela started the two-week homestand with a walk-off homer against Corpus Christi last Tuesday, and he finished it with a game-winning homer in the eighth inning on Sunday afternoon to give the San Antonio Missions (17-16) a 2-1 victory and series split against
Sanabria Calls Game, Blasts Walk-Off Homer Against Frisco
SAN ANTONIO (May 10, 2025) – Down to their final out, Romeo Sanabria crushed a walk-off two-run homer to give the San Antonio Missions (16-16) an exhilarating 2-1 win over the Frisco RoughRiders (20-12). The Missions had been held hitless into the sixth inning by Frisco starter Mitch Bratt, but
RoughRiders Squeeze by Oat Milkers
SAN ANTONIO (May 9, 2025) – The San Antonio Missions (15-16), playing as the Malmo Oat Milkers, placed the tying-run in scoring position in the ninth inning but ultimately fell short against the Frisco RoughRiders (20-11) in a 4-3 loss. The game began as a pitcher’s duel between Jagger Haynes
Frisco Takes Rain-Soaked Matchup with Flying Chanclas
SAN ANTONIO (May 8, 2025) – After a 1-hour and 23-minute rain delay, the Frisco RoughRiders (19-11) used 12 hits and five Flying Chanclas de San Antonio (15-15) errors to win 12-6 on Thursday night. Nick Krauth took home the victory out of the bullpen while San Antonio starter Victor
RoughRiders Combine to No-Hit Missions
SAN ANTONIO (May 7, 2025) – Kohl Drake, Ryan Lobus and Skylar Hales combined to throw a no-hitter for the Frisco RoughRiders (18-11) against the San Antonio Missions (15-14) on Wednesday afternoon at Wolff Stadium. For Frisco, it’s their sixth no-hitter in franchise history and first since July 29, 2011,
Missions Take Advantage of Big Innings to Rout Frisco in Opener
SAN ANTONIO (May 6, 2025) – The San Antonio Missions (15-13) welcomed the Frisco RoughRiders (17-11) to the Alamo City with an offensive outburst, scoring nine runs on ten hits and riding the arm of Braden Nett's first win to a 9-2 rout. The game marked the opening of a
Missions Walk-Off Hooks, Earn Series Split
SAN ANTONIO (May 4, 2025) – After starting off the homestand with a walk-off win over the Corpus Christi Hooks (9-18), the San Antonio Missions (14-13) came from behind and walked-off the Hooks for the second time to earn a series split on Sunday. A Moisés Gómez sacrifice fly scored
Merrill Singles Twice as Missions Get Back in Win Column
SAN ANTONIO (May 3, 2025) – An eventful evening in San Antonio, which included Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill’s addition to the lineup for a rehab assignment and a Top Gun themed game, was capped off with a 4-1 win for the San Antonio Missions (13-13) over the Corpus Christi Hooks
Hooks Hold Off Missions on Friday Night
SAN ANTONIO (May 2, 2025) – Despite a solid performance by starter Victor Lizarraga, costly errors and a quiet night with the bats resulted in a 5-3 loss for the San Antonio Missions (12-13) to the Corpus Christi Hooks (9-16). Lizarraga got the start in the fourth game of a
San Antonio’s Bats Quieted by Corpus Christi
SAN ANTONIO (May 1, 2025) – In a well-pitched ball game for both teams on Thursday night, the Corpus Christi Hooks (8-16) got the best of the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio (12-12) in a 3-1 game. Despite a solo home run by Catcher Brandon Valenzuela, the Hooks took the
Hooks Take Wednesday Night Matchup at The Wolff
SAN ANTONIO (April 30, 2025) – The Corpus Christi Hooks (7-16) broke a tie in the fifth and never looked back, defeating the San Antonio Missions (12-11) by a score of 8-2 on Wednesday night. San Antonio starter Braden Nett took the loss while Hooks starter Trey Dombrowski claimed the
Valenzuela Crushes Walk-Off Homer as Missions Blank Hooks
SAN ANTONIO (April 29, 2025) – With the game locked at zero in the bottom of the ninth inning, Brandon Valenzuela clobbered a walk-off home run to give the San Antonio Missions (12-10) a thrilling 2-0 win over the Corpus Christi Hooks (6-16). Henry Bàez, the Missions’ starter, sparkled through
Missions Shortstop Francisco Acuña Mashes His Way to Texas League Player of the Week Award
SAN ANTONIO (April 28, 2025) — Four home runs, including a game-winning blast on Thursday night in Amarillo, paved the way for Missions shortstop Francisco Acuña to win Texas League Player of the Week for the week of April 21-27. In six games against the Amarillo Sod Poodles, Acuña went
San Antonio Takes Sunday Finale Over Pigweeds
AMARILLO, Texas (April 27, 2025) – A stellar defensive play from Tyler Robertson and homers from Anthony Vilar and Brandon Valenzuela aided clutch pitching to give the San Antonio Missions a 5-4 win over the Amarillo Sod Poodles, who today played as the Yellow City Pigweeds. San Antonio starter Jagger
Missions Drop Both Ends of Saturday Doubleheader in Amarillo
AMARILLO, Texas (April 26, 2025) – With the help of five homers across two games, the Amarillo Sod Poodles (8-12) swept both ends of a Saturday doubleheader against the San Antonio Missions (10-10). In game one, Amarillo took a 4-0 lead that disappeared after a Missions comeback, but a late
Late Comeback Falls Short as Sod Poodles Escape with Victory
AMARILLO, Texas (April 23, 2025) – After a one hour and 29-minute rain delay, a rare low-scoring game took place at Hodgetown. San Antonio Missions starter Henry Bàez struck out seven while allowing just two runs, and Avery Short pitched into the seventh inning for the Amarillo Sod Poodles. The
Pointy Boots Clobber Five Homers to Beat Missions
AMARILLO, Texas (April 22, 2025) – After the Missions jumped on top with a Francisco Acuña grand slam, the Amarillo Sod Poodles, playing as the Pointy Boots, scored 15 unanswered runs on the way to a 15-4 win over the Missions. Amarillo blasted five home runs, including three in the
Naturals Earn Series Split with Sunday Win in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO – The Northwest Arkansas Naturals pounced on the San Antonio Missions with 12 runs on 14 hits to earn a series split in the Alamo City. Peyton Wilson drove in three runs with four hits, including two triples, and Ryan Ramsey followed up his inclusion in Tuesday’s no
Wolf Twirls Another Gem, Missions Lose in Extras
SAN ANTONIO, (April 19, 2025) – The pitcher’s duel between the Naturals and Missions was as advertised in San Antonio Saturday night, as both offenses were silenced through eleven innings. However, it was the Naturals who ultimately came out on top 6-0 after pulling away in the 12th inning thanks
Castañon Walks Off Naturals in Friday Night Thriller
SAN ANTONIO, (April 18, 2025) – With two outs in the tenth inning and the bases loaded, Marcos Castañon dribbled a ball to third and barely beat out the throw to send 5,877 fans at Wolff Stadium into a frenzy. The walk-off infield single gave the San Antonio Missions an
Flying Chanclas Soar in Comeback Win Against Naturals
Despite trailing 3-0 early, the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio stormed back to defeat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 7-4. Two-run blasts from Miami natives Romeo Sanabria and Anthony Vilar gave the Missions a 4-3 lead in the sixth frame, and after the Naturals tied it, Kai Murphy put the Chanclas