San Antonio Wins Texas League Title

North Little Rock, Arkansas - The San Antonio Missions won the 2013 Texas League Championship on Sunday afternoon with a 5-0 victory over the Arkansas Travelers. In winning the final two games of the series at Dickey-Stephens Park, San Antonio earned the franchise's 13th league championship and second over the Travelers in the past three years.

 

Two players who had been non-factors in the post season led the Missions offensively. Designated Hitter Robert Kral collected three base hits including an RBI double in the first inning to set the tone for the game. First baseman Johan Limonta hit a grand slam in the fourth inning, which was the only home run hit by San Antonio during the post season. 

 

Kral had entered Sunday's fifth-and-deciding game 0-for-12 during the playoffs, while Limonta was 1-for-7 and had been inactive during the last week of the regular season.

 

Three pitchers combined to hold the Travelers to four hits with only one runner advancing to third base. Josh Geer earned his second win of the post season, both fifth-and-deciding game victories, with just three hits and no walks allowed in five innings. The 2007 Texas League Pitcher of the Year who returned to San Antonio working in both relief and starting roles struck out two batters. The Missions used game one winner Matt Wisler in relief for three perfect innings before Jeremy McBryde closed the game with a scoreless ninth inning. 

 

The Missions wasted no time in grabbing the lead with a pair of doubles in the first inning. Cory Spangenberg hit a ground ball just inside the first base line with one out and scored when Kral collected his first post season base hit, a two-out double to left field.

 

After going through the second and third without a base hit, San Antonio struck again in the fourth inning. A one-out single by Kral and a two-out single by Yeison Asencio and a lucky bounce helped the Missions load the bases. Following Asencio's hit, Adam Buschini's ground ball took a weird bounce near second base into shortstop Jimmy Swift's midsection causing him to bobble the ball. Limonta and Hynick battled to a 3-2 count before the Missions first baseman crushed a change up into the visiting bullpen. On their first home run of the postseason San Antonio took a 5-0 lead.

 

Brandon Hynick suffered his second defeat of the series allowing five runs on seven hits in five innings.