Chihuahuas 6, Round Rock Express 5 (11 innings)
Key Statistics: 2B Nate Mondou 1-for-4, 2 BB; DH Matthew Batten 0-for-3, 3 BB; 3B Eguy Rosario 0-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, SB (3); SS Mason McCoy 3-for-5, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 SB (11); Kevin Plawecki 1-for-3, BB; RHP Ryan Carpenter 4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 6 K; RHP Lake Bachar 2.2 IP, H, BB, 4 K; LHP Austin Davis (W, 2-3) 2 IP H, R, 2 BB, K
Lake Bachar had a solid night, hitting 97 with his fastball. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: Coming into the game, the Chihuahuas were the only team in professional baseball that hadn’t played an extra-inning game this year and were 1-28 when trailing after seven innings. With two outs in the eighth inning, down by a run, Mason McCoy hit a two-run home run to put the visitors up by a run. The Express tied it in the bottom of the ninth, but a Bryce Johnson single in the top of the eleventh won it for the Chihuahuas. … McCoy, 29, is a seven-year minor league veteran, and the Padres are his fourth organization. He is considered one of the better defensive shortstops in the Pacific Coast League and had a solid May at the plate, hitting .291 with a .344 on-base percentage. … Lake Bachar had a great April in El Paso with a 1.35 ER in 13.1 in April but slipped in May at 7.36 in 14.2 innings. He got back on track Saturday, throwing nearly three innings and punching out four. Bachar throws a four-seam fastball, cutter, and slider. The four-seamer sat in the mid-90s and hit 97 as he threw 40 pitches.
Jared Kollar had another solid evening on Star Wars Night at Nelson Wolff Stadium. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Frisco RoughRiders 5, Missions 3
Key Statistics: LF Clay Dungan 1-for-3, 2 BB; RF Cole Cummings 2-for-5, 2B, RBI; 3B Marcos Castanon 2-for-5; C Brandon Valenzuela 1-for-2, BB, HBP; SS Ray-Patrick Didder 1-for-2, BB; RHP Jared Kollar 4.2 IP 7 H, 2 R, BB, 8 K; LHP Jayvien Sandridge 0.2 IP 3 H, 2 R, BB, K
Marcos Castanon had two hits for the Missions. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
Prospect Watch: The Missions dropped their seventh straight game despite a career-high eight strikeouts by starter Jared Kollar. For the season, the 25-year-old with an extreme over-the-top delivery, now has an ERA of 3.57 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 39:8 in 40.1 innings. … With the game tied at three in the ninth, Jayvien Sandridge put two men on with a single and intentional walk, then Frisco executed a double steal before a pair of singles plated two runs. San Antonio went down in order in the bottom of the ninth. … San Antonio’s offense has been struggling this year, with only Cole Cummings and Ray-Patrick Didder posting posting an OPS over .700. Cummings had the team’s only extra-base hits on the night with a pair of doubles. He’s slightly behind his production from last year despite seeing his strikeout rate jump to 32.6% this season.
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8, TinCaps 1
Key Statistics: Dylan Lesko (L, 1-3) 5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K; RHP Cole Paplham 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB; RHP Anthony Vilar 1.1 IP; Griffin Doersching 1-for-4, HR (5), RBI
Griffin Doersching unloads for the TinCaps. (Photo: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Prospect Watch: There wasn’t much to write home about on the road in Appleton, Wisconsin. Dylan Lesko, 20, was better than the box score indicated, throwing 62 of his 94 pitches for strikes, but still could only make it through five innings as he took his third loss of the season. On the positive side, it was the third straight start where he has gone at least five innings as he continues to work on his control, particularly with his breaking ball. … Offensively, the TinCaps struck out 11 times and could only scratch out two hits. The lone run was Griffin Doersching’s home run in the fifth to left-center, his fifth of the year. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy had a tough May, hitting .123 with a .231 slugging percentage. … After being the offensive star Friday night, Anthony Vilar, 25, made his second pitching appearance on Saturday, retiring all four batters he faced. Vilar has yet to allow a baserunner in his two outings to help save his pitching staff.
Storm 15, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5
Key Statistics: DH Leodalis De Vries 1-for-4, RBI, BB; 3B Rosman Verdugo 2-for-6, 2 2B, 2 RBI; 1B Romeo Sanabria 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB; RF Ryan Wilson 3-for-5, 2 RBI, BB, SB (4); CF Braedon Karpathios 1-for-5, BB; LF Nick Vogt 2-for-6; 2B Jose Sanabria 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB; SS Chase Valentine 0-for-1, RBI, 3 BB; RHP Ian Koenig 1.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 K; RHP Isaiah Lowe (W, 2-2) 6.1 IP H, ER, BB, 8 K
Isaiah Lowe had his best performance of the year on Saturday. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm won their fifth straight at The Diamond over the Dodgers affiliate as they pounded the Quakes for 15 runs. Despite the offensive fireworks, the big news was the dominant pitching performance by rising prospect Isaiah Lowe. After his worst outing of the season last Saturday, he bounced back for his best, striking out a season-high eight against only a single walk while throwing a career-best 6.1 innings. On the season, Lowe, 21, has struck out 44 in 31.2 innings in nine games against only 16 walks. Working with a three-pitch mix that includes a fastball that gets up to 97 and a very effective slider, he’s held Cal League batters to a .202 average. … Lowe didn’t actually make the start as Ian Koenig made his first appearance since rejoining the Storm from rehabbing in the desert. The 23-year-old righty, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and went down to Tommy John surgery last May, allowed one run on three hits over 1.2 innings. He gave way after throwing 39 pitches, 26 for strikes. As he gets stretched out, the Padres expect to rely on him to bolster the Storm pitching staff. … Romeo Sanabria reached base three times on Saturday and now has a .435 on-base percentage that’s good for fourth in the California League. He collected his league-leading 14th double of the season. … Although he didn’t have a hit in the game, Chase Valentine, 22, drew three walks and seems to have found a home in the Storm lineup. After having some spot duty with San Antonio, he’s off to a nice start with the Storm, slashing .314/.500/.429 after having an OPS of .478 in 144 plate appearances in 2023 with Lake Elsinore. The versatile Phoenix native has already played at all four infield positions and has the athleticism to help in the outfield if needed.
ACL Padres 7, ACL Red 0 (7 innings)
Key Statistics: 2B Connor Hollis 2-for-2, BB, SB; C Kaden Hollow 1-for-2, 2 BB; SS B.Y. Choi 2-for-4, 2 RBI; LF Spence Coffman 1-for-3, BB; RHP Abraham Parra 4.1 IP, 2 H, 5 K; LHP Ruben Salinas (W, 2-1), 1.1 IP, H, 3 K; LHP Jesus Gonzalez 1 IP, B, 3 K
Prospect Watch: Wins and losses are less important at this level than anywhere else in the minors, but the Padres have won eight of their last 10 are now tied for the second-best record in the 15-team Arizona Complex League. … The big star today was 18-year-old Venezuelan Abraham Parra, who had his longest and best outing of the season. The righty, who signed last January and spent the 2023 campaign in the DSL, worked 4.1 innings of two-hit ball and struck out five. He didn’t walk a batter, but did hit two. For the year, Parra has a 17:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 14 innings. … Lefty Ruben Salinas followed Parra to the mound and struck out three while allowing a harmless hit over 1.1 innings. The 21-year-old, who is 14 months post-Tommy John surgery, has not allowed a run in his first 6.1 innings of work. … Kaden Hollow, 23, had a double and drew two walks, pushing his OPS up to .905 through 66 plate appearances. Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Dixie State in 2022, the 23-year-old catcher has also appeared at first base and the outfield because of team needs this year. He should be in line to move up to Lake Elsinore at the first opportunity. … Former Texas League batting champion Connor Hollis, 29, made his third rehab appearance in the ACL and now has five hits and two walks in three games. With how San Antonio’s offense has been performing, he can’t get back to Texas quickly enough.
