Padres Minor League Report: Ian Koenig Notches 7 Shutout Innings As Missions Win

[Steve Drumwright]

 

Strong pitching was back on display for the San Diego Padres' affiliates Thursday as Ian Koenig struck out six in seven shutout innings as Double-A San Antonio won. Carson Montgomery continues to stand out as he fanned seven over five innings in High-A Fort Wayne's triumph, while Bryan Balzer and three relievers combined on a three-hitter in Low-A Lake Elsinore's victory, which featured a pair of homers. Samad Taylor had a big day at the plate with four hits for Triple-A El Paso, which lost in extra innings.

Padres Minor-League Transactions

• San Antonio Missions activated C Jake Bold from the Development List.

Samad Taylor Notches 4 Hits, But Chihuahuas Fall In 10th

A day after giving up 23 runs in a blowout loss, the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas found an excruciating way to lose as the Round Rock Express scored the zombie runner during a rundown to notch a 5-4 win in 10 innings.

With the zombie runner at second base to begin the top of the 10th, a single put runners on the corners. The runner at first then took off for second, but got himself into a rundown and the runner from third scored. In the bottom of the 10th, Clay Dungan was the Chihuahuas' zombie runner and went to third on a wild pitch. But he was stranded there as Marcos Castanon grounded back to the pitcher, Anthony Vilar struck out and Samad Taylor grounded out.

Taylor finished the day 4-for-6 with a run scored, while Mason McCoy went 2-for-5 with two steals and scored a run.

Round Rock scored two in the first and two in the fourth inning off Chihuahuas left-handed starter Jackson Wolf, who was pulled after 3⅔. He gave up six hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Right-handers Logan Gillaspie and Ethan Routzahn combined for 5⅓ scoreless innings before right-hander David Morgan took over in the 10th.

The Chihuahuas scored once in the bottom of the first on a Jase Bowen groundout to make it 2-1, then another in the fifth on a Vilar double, a Taylor single, a Pablo Reyes walk to load the bases and a two-out wild pitch to pull within 4-2. They tied it in the sixth as McCoy singled, stole second, Dungan walked and Castanon had an RBI single. Taylor then had a one-out single to reload the bases and Reyes hit a tying sacrifice fly.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Samad Taylor	6	1	4	0	0	1
Pablo Reyes	1	0	0	1	3	0
Will Wagner	4	0	0	0	1	0
Jase Bowen	5	0	1	1	0	1
Nick Solak	3	0	0	0	0	2
Carlos Rodríguez	1	0	1	0	0	0
Mason McCoy	5	1	2	0	0	1
Clay Dungan	2	1	0	0	3	1
Marcos Castañon	5	0	1	1	0	0
Anthony Vilar	5	1	1	0	0	3

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Jackson Wolf	3 2/3	6	4	4	2	4	0
Logan Gillaspie	3 1/3	2	0	0	0	4	0
Ethan Routzahn	2	1	0	0	1	1	0
David Morgan (L)	1	1	1	0	0	1	0

Ian Koenig In Control With 7 Shutout Innings For Missions

Right-handed starter Ian Koenig's roller-coaster season hit a new high as he threw seven shutout innings in the Double-A San Antonio Missions' 5-1 victory over the host Frisco RoughRiders.

Romeo Sanabria had two hits and an RBI, while Ethan Salas and Luis Verdugo also drove in runs for the Missions.

Koenig scattered five hits and didn't walk anyone while striking out a season-high six. The seven innings matches his career high, accomplished in back-to-back outings in August for High-A Fort Wayne. Koenig retired the first eight RoughRiders before plunking a batter and giving up a single to the next hitter in the third inning before getting out of the mini-jam.

The Missions scored three runs in the top of the fourth and two more in the seventh. In the fourth, Kai Roberts had a leadoff single, went to second on a groundout and third on Braedon Karpathios' single to right. Sanabria drove Roberts in with a ground single to right. After a strikeout, a passed ball scored Karpathios from third, then Verdugo singled to right to make it 3-0. There were two outs in the seventh when Francisco Acuna and Kai Murphy walked, then Salas singled in a run, Roberts walked to load the bases and Ornelas made it 5-0 when the pitcher couldn't catch a toss from the first baseman as he covered the bag.

The RoughRiders scored their lone run in the eighth off right-hander Josh Mallitz (two strikeouts) and right-hander Johan Moreno pitched a perfect ninth with a strikeout.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Ethan Salas	5	0	1	1	0	0
Kai Roberts	4	1	1	0	1	1
Tirso Ornelas	4	0	0	0	0	0
Braedon Karpathios	4	1	1	0	0	1
Romeo Sanabria	4	1	2	1	0	1
Ryan Jackson	3	0	0	0	1	2
Luis Verdugo	4	0	1	1	0	2
Francisco Acuna	2	1	0	0	2	2
Kai Murphy	2	1	0	0	1	0

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Ian Koenig (W)	7	5	0	0	0	6	0
Josh Mallitz	1	2	1	1	0	2	0
Johan Moreno	1	0	0	0	0	1	0

Carson Montgomery Fans 7, TinCaps Win On Passed Ball

Right-hander Carson Montgomery struck out a career-high seven over five innings, Jake Cunningham homered and the host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps scored the tiebreaking run on a passed ball in the seventh inning to pull out a 5-4 victory over the Dayton Dragons. Fort Wayne won despite having just four hits as it drew 11 walks.

Montgomery entered the game with a 16-inning scoreless streak, but yielded his only run in the top of the first inning. He has pitched exactly five innings in each of his last four starts in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. He allowed three hits and two walks, surpassing his previous career best of six strikeouts set in his final start before surgery in 2024 with Low-A Lake Elsinore.

Even with the run allowed, his ERA now stands at 1.41.

While the Dragons got three runs (two earned) in the sixth inning against left-hander Igor Gil, the rest of the TinCaps' bullpen—left-hander Braian Salazar,right-hander Tucker Musgrove and right-handed closer Clay Edmondson—didn't allow a hit and struck out four over the final three innings. Edmondson earned his ninth save, which leads the minors, and is unscored upon in 13 of his 15 appearances for a 0.50 ERA.

Down 1-0, Fort Wayne tied it in the second after three walks loaded the bases and Zach Evans hit into a double play that brought in the tying run. In the fifth, two walks preceded Justin DeCriscio laying down a very nice bunt that the third baseman threw into the bullpen down the right-field line, scoring one for a 2-1 TinCaps lead.

Dayton plated three runs in the top of the sixth, which included a throwing error and a passed ball by TinCaps catcher Lamar King Jr., to take a 4-2 lead. Cunningham launched his seventh homer of the season to lead off the sixth inning that trimmed the TinCaps' deficit to 4-3. In the seventh, Rosman Verdugo drew a leadoff walk and was erased on a King forceout. King then stole second and Alex McCoy hit a tying double on an opposite-field flare down the right-field line. Cunningham had an infield single, moving McCoy to third, then stole second. After an out, McCoy scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.

Cunningham had two hits and drew two walks.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Justin DeCriscio	4	0	1	0	1	2
Rosman Verdugo	2	0	0	0	2	2
Lamar King Jr.	4	1	0	0	0	1
Alex McCoy	3	2	1	1	1	0
Jake Cunningham	2	1	2	1	2	0
Jack Costello	2	0	0	0	2	1
Zach Evans	4	0	0	0	0	2
Jonathan Vastine	2	1	0	0	2	1
Kasen Wells	3	0	0	0	1	1

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Carson Montgomery	5	3	1	1	2	7	0
Igor Gil (BS)	1	3	3	2	2	2	0
Braian Salazar (W)	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
Tucker Musgrove (H)	1	0	0	0	1	2	0
Clay Edmondson (S)	1	0	0	0	1	2	0

Pair Of Homers Fuel Early Outburst, Pitchers Locked In As Storm Roll

Yoiber Ocopio and Kerrington Cross hit homers to lead an early blitz by the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm in a 9-3 win over the host Visalia Rawhide.

Storm right-handed starter Bryan Balzer allowed all three Rawhide hits in five innings, giving up three runs (two earned) with two walks and six strikeouts. Right-handers Brandon Langley (two innings), Sean Barnett and Will Koger allowed just a walk over the final four innings.

But by that time, the Storm offense had already done its damage, scoring twice in the first on a double steal with Bradley Frye swiping home and Truitt Madonna added an RBI single, then two more in the third on Ocopio's second homer of the season, a no-doubt two-run shot for a 4-1 lead. It was the fifth where the Storm blew this one open. Ryan Wideman had a leadoff double and scored on Jose Verdugo's one-out single. Verdugo then stole second and Ty Harvey walked with a wild pitch putting Verdugo on third. Madonna then drove in Verdugo with a single to left and Cross followed with his three-run homer, an opposite-field drive to right for his third blast of the year and a 9-1 lead.

Madonna finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, Verdugo went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, Qrey Lott had three hits and Harvey had a pair of hits and scored once.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Ryan Wideman	6	1	1	0	0	2
Bradley Frye	4	1	1	0	1	2
Jose Verdugo	5	2	3	1	0	0
Ty Harvey	4	1	2	0	1	2
Truitt Madonna	5	1	3	2	0	0
Kerrington Cross	3	2	1	3	2	0
Yoiber Ocopio	4	1	1	2	1	2
Qrey Lott	4	0	3	0	0	0
Conner Westenburg	5	0	1	0	0	1

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Bryan Balzer (W)	5	3	3	2	2	6	0
Brandon Langley	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sean Barnett	1	0	0	0	1	1	0
Will Koger	1	0	0	0	0	2	0

Top 20 Prospect Performance

1. Ethan Salas: 1-for-5
2. Kash Mayfield: DNP
3. Miguel Mendez: DNP
4. Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP
5. Ryan Wideman: 1-for-6, 2B, 2 K
6. Jorge Quintana: DNP
7. Ty Harvey: 2-for-4, 2 K
8. Kale Fountain: DNP
9. Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-4, K
10. Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-4, K
11. Jagger Haynes: DNP
12. Alex McCoy: 1-for-3, 2B
13. Truitt Madonna: 3-for-5
14. Tucker Musgrove: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
15. Garrett Hawkins: DNP
16. Michael Salina: DNP
17. Eric Yost: DNP
18. Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-2, 2 K
19. Bryan Balzer: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
20. Deivid Coronil: DNP

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