Padres Minor League Report: Storm Sweep Cal League Semifinals As Coleman Borthwick Debuts

[Steve Drumwright]

 

The San Diego Padres will have another team playing for a championship, while the other two full-season affiliates still playing went 0-2 Thursday. The Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm completed a sweep of Ontario in the California League semifinals with a 6-1 win, while the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas were walked off by Tacoma 5-4 in 11 innings and the Double-A San Antonio Missions were beaten by Amarillo 5-3.

Padres Minor-League Transactions

• El Paso Chihuahuas placed DH Will Wagner on the 7-day injured list.
• El Paso Chihuahuas activated 2B Victor Duarte from the Development List.

CAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

Storm Sweep Way To Cal League Finals; Coleman Borthwick Debuts

The Padres' most recent two first-round draft picks, left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft and Coleman Borthwick, along with right-hander Lan-Hong Su combined for 15 strikeouts and the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rode a three-run second inning to beat the Ontario Tower Buzzers 6-1 to sweep the best-of-three California League South Division Series. The Storm, who won the 2024 Cal League crown, will face the San Jose Giants in the best-of-three series beginning Sunday at The Diamond.

Borthwick, the Padres' first-round draft pick and Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, made his pro debut by going two innings, allowing a run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Borthwick struck out the first batter he faced on a 97 mph four-seamer, then the second batter on a breaking ball. The run came when the third batter he faced laced a double inside the third-base line and the next batter hit a grounder to shortstop Jose Verdugo, who tried to backhand the ball and had it roll up his arm and deflect into shallow left, allowing the run to score. The play was ruled a hit despite it being rather routine.

While Borthwick was good, Schoolcraft was fantastic. Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, the 2025 first-round draft choice, started and went five shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing just two hits and a walk. His eight punchouts were his second-highest total of the season.

The offense came early for the Storm. With two outs, seventh-round draft choice Joe Tiroly walked and stole second, then fourth-round draft pick Alex Conover hit a ground-rule double to left for a 1-0 lead. With two out and Qrey Lott on first following a forceout, second-round draft choice Elliot Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect) lined a double to right to make it 2-0. Tiroly drew his second walk of the game and, with runners on second and third, Conover was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Nu'u Contrades followed with a double off the big wall in right field that scored two, with Conover being thrown out at the plate, leaving the Storm up 4-0. The Tower Buzzers got their run in the sixth off Borthwick. The Storm benefited from a miscue to add two more runs in the eighth. With two outs, Verdugo walked and Dawson Willis doubled to left. Following a pitching change, Ty Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) hit a fly ball to right that was dropped, allowing Verdugo and Willis to score.

Su came on for the eighth and didn't allow a hit over his two innings, walking one and striking out three.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Elliot Lascelles, 2B	3	1	1	1	1	0
Joe Tiroly, 1B	2	2	0	0	2	1
Alex Conover, LF	3	0	1	1	0	1
Nu'u Contrades, DH	3	0	2	2	1	0
Jorge Quintana, 3B	2	0	0	0	2	1
Jose Verdugo, SS	3	1	0	0	1	0
Dawson Willis, CF	4	1	2	0	0	1
Ty Harvey, C	3	0	0	0	1	1
Qrey Lott, RF	4	1	0	0	0	1

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Kruz Schoolcraft	5	2	0	0	1	8	0
Coleman Borthwick	2	2	1	1	2	4	0
Lan-Hong Su	2	0	0	0	1	3	0

Bounces Don't Go Chihuahuas' Way In 11-Inning Loss

A bases-loaded comebacker deflected off right-hander Alek Jacob's glove, allowing the winning run to score with no outs in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas fell to the host Tacoma Rainiers 5-4.

Rehabbing Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar had a double in four at-bats with a strikeout before being lifted for a pinch-runner in the top of the eighth inning. In three games so far, Andujar is 2-for-12 with both hits being doubles. Bryce Johnson went 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles and an RBI, while Marcos Castanon went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs, Carlos Rodirguez had two hits, a walk, an RBI and a run scored and Nick Solak had two singles for the Chihuahuas, who outhit the Rainiers 12-10.

Chihuahuas left-hander Luis Gutierrez, in his second career Triple-A start after making one last year for El Paso, allowed a run over four innings with four strikeouts. Left-hander Jagger Haynes, Padres Mission's No. 13 prospect, gave up two runs in three innings, with right-hander Garrett Hawkins going two scoreless and Jacob pitching the 10th and 11th, giving up two unearned runs while allowing three hits and walking three with two strikeouts.

The Chihuahuas forced extra innings by scoring once in the ninth. Castanon had a leadoff double and scored on Johnson's second double of the game one out later. But Johnson was stranded there as pinch-hitter Rodolfo Duran and Mason McCoy struck out. McCoy, the zombie runner to begin the 10th, would score on Rodriguez's one-out single, but the Rainiers countered with a run of their own. The Chihuahuas couldn't score in the top of the 11th.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Mason McCoy, SS	6	1	0	0	0	4
Miguel Andujar, DH	4	0	1	0	0	1
Braedon Karpathios, DH	0	0	0	0	0	0
Carlos Rodríguez, RF	4	1	2	1	1	2
Nick Solak, LF	5	0	2	0	0	1
Nick Pratto, 1B	5	0	1	0	0	2
Marcos Castañon, 2B	4	2	2	1	1	0
Gage Workman, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	4
Bryce Johnson, CF	4	0	3	1	1	1
Anthony Vilar, C	2	0	1	1	0	0
Rodolfo Durán, C	2	0	0	0	0	1

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Luis Gutierrez	4	3	1	1	2	4	0
Jagger Haynes	3	3	2	2	1	1	1
Garrett Hawkins	2	1	0	0	0	2	0
Alek Jacob	1	3	2	0	3	2	0

Despite 3 Homers, Missions Fall To Sod Poodles

Brendan Durfee, Kai Roberts and Ryan Jackson each hit solo homers, but the Double-A San Antonio Missions were unable to muster any other offense in falling to the Amarillo Sod Poodles 5-3.

Alex McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect, went 3-for-4, his third time in 23 games at Double-A with at least three hits for the Missions. Jack Costello went 2-for-4 for the Missions, who outhit the Sod Poodles 11-10.
https://padresmission.com/san-diego-padres-top-prospect-rankings/alex-mccoy-r143/

Missions left-handed starter Fernando Sanchez finished his season by allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts over five innings. Right-hander Francisco Pena allowed a solo homer on two hits over two innings, while right-hander Josh Mallitz allowed a hit in one inning, striking out one.

Trailing 2-0 entering the top of the third, Durfee led off the inning with his fourth homer of the year and Roberts followed with his fifth of the season. The Sod Poodles went up 3-2 in the bottom of the third, with the Missions getting Jackson's homer leading off the top of the fourth to tie it 3-3. But the Sod Poodles answered back with one in the bottom of the fourth and one in the sixth.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Kai Roberts, CF	4	1	1	1	0	0
Alex McCoy, RF	4	0	3	0	0	1
Albert Fabian, DH	4	0	1	0	0	0
Kerrington Cross, 1B	4	0	1	0	0	1
Ryan Jackson, 3B	4	1	1	1	0	0
Jack Costello, LF	4	0	2	0	0	0
Justin DeCriscio, SS	4	0	1	0	0	0
Wyatt Hoffman, 2B	3	0	0	0	0	2
Brendan Durfee, C	3	1	1	1	0	1

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Fernando Sanchez	5	7	4	3	2	6	1
Francis Peña	2	2	1	1	0	1	1
Josh Mallitz	1	1	0	0	0	1	0

Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance

1. Ethan Salas, C: DNP
2. Ryan Wideman, CF: On injured list
3. Coleman Borthwick, RHP: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
4. Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
5. Ty Harvey, C: 0-for-3, BB, K
6. Kale Fountain, OF: Injured, out for season
7. Jorge Quintana, SS: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
8. Alex McCoy, LF: 3-for-4, K
9. Braedon Karpathios, RF: 0-for-0, sac
10. Lamar King Jr., C: DNP
11. Elliot Lascelles, SS: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, RBI
12. Tucker Musgrove, RHP: On injured list
13. Jagger Haynes, LHP: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
14. Jake Cunningham, OF: DNP
15. Truitt Madonna, C: DNP
16. Eric Yost, RHP: DNP
17. Winyer Chourio, RHP: DNP
18. Jesus Castro, RHP: DNP
19. Michael Salina, RHP: On injured list
20. Rosman Verdugo, SS: DNP

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