Missions Rally to Upend Grizzlies in Monday Matinee

SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio Missions were undeterred by the 6-0 deficit they found themselves in after the top of the second as they stormed back for the 9-8 series-clinching victory over the Fresno Grizzlies Monday afternoon at Wolff Stadium.
All nine Fresno starters came to the plate in the second inning against Missions starter Corbin Burnes including hits by the first seven batters. The Grizzlies plated six runs in the frame.
The Missions began to claw their way back into the game in the bottom of the second as Jake Hager collected a sacrifice fly. Then in the third Tyrone Taylor belted a sky-high three-run home run to trim the deficit to 6-4.
The fifth inning is when the bats really came alive for San Antonio. The Missions swatted a trio of long balls as Troy Stokes Jr. went deep to lead off the frame and Jacob Nottingham went back-to-back with Hager to put the Missions in front.
San Antonio's bullpen pieced together seven effective innings to get through the day. Deolis Guerra fanned three batters in 2 1/3 shutout innings and Jimmy Nelson, making his third rehab appearance for the Missions in his current rehab stint, continued to excel with four strikeouts in his 1 2/3 innings of work. The right-hander topped out at 98 miles per hour with his fastball.
Fresno got a run back in the seventh and tied the game in the eighth on Raudy Read's base hit off Angel Perdomo but the Missions took the lead back in the home half. In his first game back with the ball club since being optioned, Tyler Saladino knocked a base hit back up the middle. He then moved along to second on a sacrifice bunt from Taylor and came around to score the game-winning run when Freitas smacked a single to right field that was subsequently bobbled by José Marmolejos.
Newly acquired Ray Black shut the door on the Grizzlies. The hard-throwing right-hander issued a leadoff walk to Drew Ward but retired the next three batters to earn the save.
The Missions have an off-day Tuesday before heading to Albuquerque for a three-game series beginning Wednesday. Right-hander Burch Smith (6-3, 2.34) is scheduled to start the series opener for the Missions against right-hander Jeff Hoffman (6-5, 7.18) for the Isotopes. First pitch is set for 7:35 a.m.
Post-Game Notes
-With the win, San Antonio improved to 71-43 on the season.
-The Missions overcame a six-run deficit, their longest come-from-behind victory of the season.
-San Antonio extended its season-long errorless streak to 10 games
2019 is the 118th season of baseball in San Antonio and first as the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Single game tickets are on sale now at the Wolff Stadium Box Office or online at samissions.com. Season seat memberships are available now by calling 210-675-PARK (7275).