Milone Drives in Five During Game One Win, Missions Stumble in Game Two for Thursday Night Split 

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Missions and Wichita Wind Surge had to wait until Thursday night to finish their Wednesday night game. After trailing 4-1 in that ballgame, the Missions scored seven runs in the eighth inning on their way to an 11-4 game one victory. The Missions held the lead multiple times in game two. However, the Wichita hitters remained focused and used a four-run sixth inning to propel them to a 7-4 victory in game two.

Nolan Watson was the starting pitcher for the San Antonio Missions. He had an eventful inning as the Wichita Wind Surge gained an early lead. Matt Wallner drew a lead-off before being thrown out trying to steal second base. Edouard Julien drew a two-out walk to keep the inning alive. Cole Sturgeon hit a single to advance Julin into scoring position. Kyle Schmidt capitalized on the scoring opportunity and drove in Julien with a single to left field. Wichita took a 1-0 lead.

Kody Funderburk was the starting pitcher for the Wind Surge. After getting through the first two innings without much of a hassle, the Missions had their first scoring opportunity in the top of the third inning. Connor Kaiser drew a lead-off walk and stole second base. After a strikeout and fly out, Kaiser was at third base with two outs. Korry Howell flew out to end the scoring threat.

San Antonio plated their first run of the game in the top of the fourth inning. Domingo Leyba started off the inning with a double and stole third base. Yorman Rodriguez quickly capitalized and drove in Leyba with a single to center field. The Missions evened up the game at 1-1.

Wichita regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out in the inning, DaShawn Kiersey Jr. Hit a solo home run to right field. His fourth long ball of the season made it a 2-1 Wind Surge.

Following his home run, it started raining significantly at Riverfront Stadium. With the forecast not getting any better, the game was postponed until Thursday evening. It restarted at 5:05 p.m.

With one out and a runner on first base, Fred Schlichtholz replaced Watson and started the resumption of last night’s game. Anthony Prato stole second base, but then was thrown out trying to steal third base. The southpaw allowed a base hit to Kevin Merrell before recording the final out of the inning on a ground out from Cabrera.

After recording the first out of the fifth inning, Moises Lugo came on to pitch for the Missions. He allowed a single to Austin Martin and a double to Julien. On the Julien double, Martin showed off his speed and scored from first base. The Wind Surge improved their lead to 3-1.

The Wind Surge added another run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Wichita loaded the bases with a walk, a double from Keirsey Jr., and a Prato hit by pitch. Tom Cosgrove came on to pitch for Lugo. After retiring the next two batters, Cosgrove walked Wallner to score Kyle Schmidt. It was a 4-1 Wichita lead.

Everything changed in the eighth inning for San Antonio. The Missions plated seven runs on five hits. Juan Fernandez plated the first run of the inning after reaching on a fielding error. Thomas Milone drove in two runs with a single to right field. Connor Kaiser hit a line drive to center field where Keirsey Jr. attempted to make a diving catch. The ball instead got by him and Kaiser raced around the bases for a three-run inside-the-park home run. After a single and a walk, Howell drove in the seventh run of the inning with a single to left field. San Antonio gained an 8-4 advantage. It was the first time this season that the Missions scored seven runs in an inning.

San Antonio added three more runs in the top of the ninth inning after Thomas Milone hit his first home run of the season. The Missions finish the comeback and take game one by a final score of 11-4.

Game two saw the return of Matt Waldron for the San Antonio Missions. Blayne Enlow was the starting pitcher for the Wichita Wind Surge.

After a scoreless first inning, the Missions scored the first runs of the game in the top of the second inning. Rodriguez and Ornelas hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. Fernandez lined into a double play to leave Ornelas on first base with two outs. Jorge Ona stepped up to the plate and hit a two-run homer over the center field fence. His sixth long ball of the season made it a 2-0 lead.

Wichita had a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the third inning. Chris Williams started the inning with a base hit and Merrell hit a double. With two runners in scoring position and no outs, Waldron struck out the next batter before intentionally walking Wallner to load the bases. The knuckleballer left the bases loaded after striking out the final two batters of the inning.

Wichita plated their first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Cole Sturgeon began the inning with a single off Waldron. He advanced to second after Andrew Bechtold reached base on a fielding error from Hollis. With two outs in the inning, and Sturgeon now at third base, Merrell hit a line drive into left field for an RBI single. The Missions had a 2-1 advantage.

The Wind Surge gained their first lead of game two in the bottom of the fifth inning. Facing Osvaldo Hernandez, Wallner drew a walk and Austin Martin hit a single. Following a ground out, Sturgeon drove in both runners with a single to center field. Wichita took a 3-2 lead.

The Missions answered quickly and regained the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Facing Steven Klimek, Rodriguez hit a lead-off homer to tie the game. Ornelas followed that up with a double and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. After a walk to Fernandez, Ona drove in Ornelas with a single to left field. The Missions took a 4-3 advantage.

The Wind Surge responded by plating four runs on three hits in the bottom half of the inning. Wichita loaded the bases after back-to-back singles and a walk. Belen allowed the tying run to score after he hit Martin with a pitch. Alek Jacob came on to pitch in relief of Belen. He surrendered a two-run single off the bat of Julien. Sturgeon drove in the final run of the inning after grounding out to first base. The Missions trailed 7-4.

Post-Game Notes

• With the game one win and game two loss, San Antonio is now 35-29 on the season
• 2nd Inside-the-Park HR this season (Domingo Leyba, June 1st)
• First 7-run inning since July 29th, 2021
• Milone: First 5-RBI game by a Missions player since Eguy Rosario (June 5th, 2021)
• Korry Howell (#13 Padres prospect): 2-9, R, RBI, 3 K
• Kevin Kopps (#14 Padres prospect): DNP
• Reggie Lawson (#17 Padres prospect): DNP
• Tirso Ornelas (#23 Padres prospect): 2-8, 2B, BB, 3 R, K
• Matt Waldron (#27 Padres prospect): ND, 4.0, 7 H, R, BB, 4 K

The San Antonio Missions will continue their six-game series with the Wichita Wind Surge on Friday, June 24th. Right-hander Reggie Lawson (2-4, 6.06). Right-hander Casey Legumina (1-2, 6.19) is scheduled to pitch for the Wind Surge. First pitch is expected at 7:05 p.m. from Riverfront Stadium.

The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. This is the 120th professional season for the San Antonio Missions. Single game tickets are available now and can be purchased online or at the 1st Base Box Office. Season seat memberships are available now. For more information call 210-675-PARK (7275) or visit samissions.com.

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