Padres Minor League Report: Arms Shine Amid Late-Game Gut Punches

[Brock Beauchamp]

Yonathan Perlaza plated four and Nate Mondou homered, though Sacramento prevailed. Francisco Acuna doubled twice for three RBIs, Albert Fabian homered, and Garrett Hawkins struck out three in 1 1/3 scoreless. Damon Dues and Romeo Sanabria also homered. Fort Wayne’s Ian Koenig fanned six over 6 1/3, and Josh Mallitz added 1 2/3 scoreless in relief. Lake Elsinore’s Kash Mayfield worked five with five strikeouts, and Vicarte Domingo delivered two scoreless in a walk-off loss.

Padres Transactions

• Recalled LHP JP Sears from El Paso Chihuahuas.
• Optioned RHP Ron Marinaccio to El Paso Chihuahuas.

Perlaza’s Three-Run Blast, Mondou Goes Deep As El Paso Falls Late In Sacramento
Box Score

El Paso built multiple leads behind timely swings, but Sacramento pushed ahead in the eighth. The Chihuahuas first struck in the third when Tyler Wade singled and scored on a Luis Campusano line drive to center. An inning later, after Clay Dungan reached on an error and Mason McCoy walked, Wade dropped a bunt single to load the bases. Will Wagner’s fielder’s choice brought in a run, then Yonathan Perlaza crushed a three-run homer to right for a 5-3 edge.

McCoy doubled in the sixth and scored on Perlaza’s infield single, and Nate Mondou added insurance with a solo shot in the seventh to make it 7-5. Sacramento answered with two in the seventh, then took the lead late with a two-run double in the eighth.

El Paso threatened in the ninth. Mondou singled, Tirso Ornelas walked, and Rodolfo Durán laid down a sacrifice. Dungan chopped an infield single to pull the Chihuahuas within one, but a strikeout and a lineout ended the push.

Perlaza finished 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs, Mondou went 2-for-5 with a homer, and Wade tallied three hits plus two steals. Dungan added a steal and an RBI. Starter Wes Benjamin worked four, allowing five runs, two earned, with four walks and four strikeouts. Miguel Cienfuegos followed with two scoreless innings, no walks, and two strikeouts. Raul Brito blew a save opportunity in the eighth while Jake Higginbotham took the loss in the ninth.

---

Acuna’s Two Doubles, Fabian’s Go-Ahead Homer Power Missions Past Amarillo
Box Score

San Antonio rode a multi-extra-base night from Francisco Acuna and a late jolt from Albert Fabian to a 5-4 win at Nelson Wolff Stadium. Devin Ortiz started the first with a single, and Acuna immediately cashed him in with a double to center for a 1-0 lead. Amarillo answered in the second and surged ahead in the fifth, but the Missions punched back in the bottom half.

Braedon Karpathios sparked the fifth with a triple, and Ryan Jackson followed with an RBI single. After Oswaldo Linares added a single and stole second, Acuna lashed another double to left, scoring Jackson and Linares to tie it 4-4. Fabian delivered the difference in the sixth, lifting a solo homer to right for a 5-4 advantage.

Starter Miguel Mendez worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs with two walks and five strikeouts. Ryan Och bridged a scoreless fifth with one inning of work, one walk, and three strikeouts. Garrett Hawkins closed it out, striking out three over 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.

Acuna finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Jackson went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run, Karpathios tripled and scored, Fabian was 1-for-3 with the go-ahead homer, and Linares went 1-for-2 with a steal and a run. San Antonio’s defense sealed it in the seventh when shortstop Acuna fielded a grounder and threw home to Linares to cut down the tying run after a triple, and Hawkins finished the frame with a strikeout.

---

Dues, Sanabria Go Deep In Sixth, Missions Clipped 4-2
Box Score

Amarillo jumped on San Antonio early with three runs in the first, then added another in the third on a fielder’s choice and a throwing error to build a 4-0 lead at Nelson Wolff Stadium. The Missions’ bats were quiet until the fourth, when Braedon Karpathios lined a single to right. San Antonio’s defense steadied things with a pair of infield double plays, keeping the game within reach.

The Missions made their push in the sixth. Damon Dues led off by sending a ball to center for his first home run of the season. After a walk and a double play, Romeo Sanabria answered with a two-out drive to right center, his 11th, trimming the deficit to 4-2. That would be the final margin, as San Antonio finished with three hits, all coming from Dues, Sanabria, and Karpathios.

Starter Eric Yost worked 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits, walking four, and striking out three. Harry Gustin followed with two scoreless frames, walking two, and striking out one. Kevin Kopps finished it off with 1 1/3 innings, yielding one hit, no runs, three walks, and no strikeouts.

At the plate, Dues went 1-for-2 with a homer, Sanabria went 1-for-3 with a solo shot, and Karpathios added a single. The Missions were held to only three hits.

---

Valentine Logs Two Hits, Koenig Fans Six As TinCaps Blanked In Lake County
Box Score

Fort Wayne threatened from the jump when Kasen Wells singled and Eguy Rosario walked to open the game, but a double play halted the first-inning push. That was most of the offensive effort, as Fort Wayne finished with five hits.

Ian Koenig set the tone on the mound, working into the seventh. The righty struck out six and walked one over 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs. Josh Mallitz followed with 1 2/3 scoreless frames, striking out two without a walk.

Lake County broke a scoreless tie in the seventh. The hosts started the inning with a double and a single, added a steal, then connected for a three-run homer to make it 3-0. Koenig exited one batter after the long ball, and Mallitz kept it there to give the offense a chance.

Valentine finished 2-for-3. Durfee went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, Wells reached twice, and Evans added a single.

---

Madonna, Fountain Pull Storm Even, Stockton Walks It Off In Ninth
Box Score

Lake Elsinore threatened early, loading the bases in the first on three straight singles before a double play ended the inning. Stockton grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second on a missed catch at first base, but the Storm defense answered when Dylan Grego and Carlos Rodriguez combined to throw out a runner at the plate. Stockton made it 2-0 in the third, and Bradley Frye provided a spark for Lake Elsinore in the second with a walk and a steal.

The Storm broke through in the fifth. George Bilecki and Jorge Quintana drew walks, and after a fielder’s choice moved a runner to third, Truitt Madonna lined an RBI single to left. Moments later, Kale Fountain beat out an infield single to bring home the tying run. Lake Elsinore’s best chance late ended in the eighth when a double play closed the frame, and Stockton ended it in the ninth with a walk-off home run to left.

Starter Kash Mayfield worked five, allowing four hits and two runs, with one walk and five strikeouts. Jaxon Dalena followed with one scoreless inning, allowing one hit, one walk, and striking out two. Vicarte Domingo kept the game level with two scoreless frames, no hits, no walks, and three strikeouts. Kleiber Olmedo entered in the ninth and gave up the winning home run.

Madonna finished 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, Fountain went 1-for-4 with an RBI, and Ryan Wideman added a hit, a walk, and a run scored.

View full article