Alex McCoy Walks it Off in Eleventh Inning to Extend Flying Chanclas’ Win Streak
SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 20, 2026) — Alex McCoy looped a 2-2 pitch in the eleventh inning just over the drawn-in infield, providing a walk-off winner to continue his dream Double-A debut while putting his stamp on a Flying Chanclas de San Antonio (23-25) 6-5 win over Northwest Arkansas Naturals (18-30).
SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 20, 2026) — Alex McCoy looped a 2-2 pitch in the eleventh inning just over the drawn-in infield, providing a walk-off winner to continue his dream Double-A debut while putting his stamp on a Flying Chanclas de San Antonio (23-25) 6-5 win over Northwest Arkansas Naturals (18-30).
For the third consecutive game in this series, the Naturals grabbed the initial lead. Omar Hernandez knocked in a base hit and Sam Kulasingam doubled to send Hernandez to third with one away. Jorge Alfaro rolled a grounder to San Antonio’s Ryan Jackson for an easy out, but it came at a cost as Hernandez scored to put Northwest Arkansas up 1-0 in the opening frame.
San Antonio remained determined to answer back, sending Chanclas flying toward Naturals starter Félix Arronde in their offensive turn of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Braedon Karpathios started the rally after reaching off a fielding error. McCoy singled and Romeo Sanabria took a walk to load the bases on Arronde. Jackson smacked a two-run double into center field to snag the lead back from the Naturals. Jack Costello sent a hard-hit grounder that bounced off Arronde’s glove to add another run to make it a 3-1 lead for the Flying Chanclas.
Flying Chanclas starter Jamie Hitt stayed cool and collected after the first inning, retiring eight Naturals in a row while punching out two; yet Kulasingam and Daniel Vazquez punched back for the Naturals in the top of the fourth with two doubles to trim the Flying Chanclas’ lead down 3-2.
The Flying Chanclas did not back down in their turn of the fourth frame as Albert Fabian turned in his eighth hit of the series but ran into a double play. Justin DeCriscio beat out an infield single and advanced to second on an error. Following a wild pitch, DeCriscio advanced to third, and Brendan Durfee was given a free pass to put runners on the corners with two away. Karpathios knocked in a double to score DeCriscio before the end of the inning to give San Antonio a two-run advantage.
Hitt delivered his third 1-2-3 inning in the fifth before handing the reigns to Sadrac Franco, who did the same in the sixth. Franco looked to help San Antonio cruise towards a win with two away in the seventh before Connor Scott singled and Alberto Hernandez sent a ball just over the right field wall for a two-run homer to tie things up.
Northwest Arkansas abandoned three runners and stole a bag in the eighth and ninth innings due to the late game resiliency of Josh Mallitz as he didn’t allow any runs and closed out the ninth with a pickoff. San Antonio’s leadoff order was set down by Tyson Guerrero in their turn of the ninth to send the back-and-forth battle into extra innings.
Northwest Arkansas scored in the tenth inning after Jackson overthrew Anthony Vilar in an attempt to prevent a run after fielding an Angel Acosta grounder, but Garret Hawkins managed to close out the the threatening stanza for Igor Gil to have the Flying Chanclas stay in the fight.
Kai Roberts assisted in sending the contest into a deadlock following his base hit in the tenth frame to place himself at first base and send Tirso Ornelas to third base. Jackson redeemed himself from his overthrow with a sacrifice bunt to knot things up 5-5.
Hawkins continued his electric performance in the eleventh, retiring three more Naturals in a row, striking out the last two to set up a clutch moment for McCoy in the bottom of the inning. Costello was sent into third base after a DeCriscio sacrifice bunt, and then two consecutive intentional walks of Vilar and Karpathios from Northwest Arkansas loaded the bases. On a 2-2 pitch, McCoy blooped a liner just over Vazquez to walk it off for the Flying Chanclas in their 6-5 win.
Up Next:
The Missions and Naturals continue their six-game series Friday at 7:05 p.m. Throw it back to the old-school days of Missions baseball. The first 2,000 fans will receive a retro sleeveless Missions jersey, presented by McCombs Ford West. The fun continues after the final out! Kids are invited onto the field to run the bases following the game. Catch all the action on Country Legends KKYX, 680 AM, 104.9 FM and kkyx.com. Tickets are available at samissions.com or by calling 210-675-7275.
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The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The Missions were established in 1888 and have brought affordable family fun to the Alamo City for more than 120 seasons. The 13-time Texas League champions play their home games at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium. For more information and tickets, call 210-675-7275 or visit samissions.com.