Las Vegas Aviators 8, Chihuahuas 5
Key Statistics: SS Mason McCoy 2-for-5, 2B; RF Nick Solak 2-for-4, R, HR (16), RBI; 2B Will Wagner 2-for-4, R; CF Bryce Johnson 2-for-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, BB; LHP Jagger Haynes 2.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, BB, 2 K; RHP Garrett Hawkins 2.1 IP, H, BB, 3 K; RHP J.P. France (L, 1-4) 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 3 K
Garrett Hawkins impressed in big league camp before a disappointing 2026 campaign. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Prospect Watch: The Aviators had 14 hits to outlast the Chihuahuas in El Paso. … Nick Solak had a pair of hits, including his 16th homer of the season in the loss. The 31-year-old veteran has been a steady contributor for El Paso this season, playing multiple positions and posting solid offense. Solak’s offensive contributions have been roughly six percent above the league average, and he has a minuscule 11% K-rate. He got a brief taste of big league action in June with the Padres, and he will likely be back on the market this off-season, unless he’s added to the 40-man roster. … Bryce Johnson had a pair of hits, including his second homer of the season – a no-doubt blast to right-center that left the bat at 102 mph. The veteran outfielder began the year on the Padres’ roster but was designated for assignment in June. The 30-year-old veteran cleared waivers and was outrighted to El Paso. Johnson has a below-average .761 OPS for El Paso. … Jagger Haynes made the start and struggled to limit hard contact. Haynes allowed six balls in play over 95 mph and eight hits in just 2.1 innings. He allowed four earned runs, walking one and striking out two. The 23-year-old lefty has thrown a career-high 126 innings this season, with most of the action coming in San Antonio. Haynes has struggled in eight starts with El Paso, pitching to a 6.61 ERA while averaging less than four innings per start. In 31.1 innings, he has a 1.72 WHIP. PCL Hitters have teed off on his four-seam fastball, which generally sits 91-93 mph. Aviator hitters didn’t chase the pitch out of the zone once on the night and had a 95.9 mph average exit velocity when they attacked it. … Garrett Hawkins pitched in relief and put together a solid outing, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings. Hawkins sat 93-95 mph with his fastball and racked up five whiffs. He walked one and struck out three. After looking to be on the cusp of a role in the Padres’ bullpen coming into spring training, Hawkins saw a steep drop in velocity on the fastball and the ride he was able to get on it fell from an elite 20-plus inches of induced vertical break to just 14 in Friday’s outing. He has tossed five scoreless innings over his last two outings (one in San Antonio), allowing just one hit. He’s walked two and struck out seven in the small sample.
Missions 8, Midland RockHounds 7
Key Statistics: CF Braedon Karpathios 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 4 RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-5, HR (16), 2 RBI; SS Luis Verdugo 2-for-3, 2 R, BB, SB (5); 2B Wyatt Hoffman 2-for-4, 2 R; LHP Fernando Sanchez 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; RHP Carlos Medina 2 IP, H, BB, K; RHP Josh Mallitz (W, 5-0) 2 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, K
Braedon Karpathios had another big night at the plate (Photo: San Antono Missions)
Prospect Watch: The Missions won a seesaw battle, thanks to an eighth-inning single off the bat of Braedon Karpathios. … The hit from Karpathios capped a three-hit night, as the 23-year-old continues to swing the bat well down the stretch. Karpathios has hit safely in seven straight, and has six straight multi-hit games. The hot stretch has seen Karpathios raise his average by 20 points, not an easy feat considering Karpathios has 500 plate appearances. Overall, the 23-year-old is hitting .265/.350/.440 with a career-high 17 homers. … Tirso Ornelas had a pair of hits, including his 16th homer of the season. Like Karpathios, Ornelas has been red-hot lately. Ornelas has two hits in three consecutive games after a slow August. The homer Ornelas hit Friday was his 90th as a professional. … After starter Fernando Sanchez got knocked around, Carlos Medina stabilized things by tossing two scoreless innings in his Double-A debut. The 21-year-old righty allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out one. Medina signed as an international free agent last December after pitching for Monterrey in Mexico for the last two years. He made his pro debut earlier this season in Lake Elsinore, where he appeared in 17 games, including 13 starts. Overall, Medina has a 4.66 ERA in 77.1 innings.
TinCaps 8, Lansing Lugnuts 6
Key Statistics: 1B Luke Cantwell 2-for-3, 3 R, 2 2B, BB; DH Lamar King Jr. 2-for-5, RBI, SB (17); C Carlos Rodriguez 3-for-3, 2 R, HR (7), 3 RBI; RHP Nick Falter 3 IP, H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Isaiah Lowe (W, 2-6) 3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; RHP Miguel Alvarez (S, 1) 3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K
Luke Cantwell added loud hits for the TinCaps Friday. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Prospect Watch: Fort Wayne jumped out to an early lead and held on to defeat the Lugnuts on the road. … Catcher Carlos Rodriguez had three hits, including his seventh homer of the season, and drove in three runs in the win. The 23-year-old had an .858 OPS last year in 46 games with the Storm. This season, Rodriguez has set a career-high with 82 games played and seven homers, but his overall production has faded to a .657 OPS. … First baseman Luke Cantwell had a pair of doubles and scored three runs. The 20th-round pick out of Pitt demolished Cal League pitching early this year, earning a promotion to Fort Wayne. He hit well initially with the TinCaps but limped through a miserable August, hitting .214/.366/.268. Despite the poor month, Cantwell has had a successful debut season, hitting .291/.434/.449 in 79 games between Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore. As a first base-only prospect, the left-handed slugger’s bat will have to carry him through the system. … Former undrafted free agent Nick Falter started the game and pitched three innings. He allowed two runs (one earned), walking two and striking out three. The Ohio native started the season in the Storm bullpen, where he established himself as an extremely dependable reliever capable of tossing multiple innings. Falter has not enjoyed the same success in Fort Wayne. Midwest League hitters are batting .310 against the right-hander. Between the two stops, Falter has a 4.13 ERA in 72 innings.
Storm 12, Inland Empire 66ers 3
Key Statistics: SS Jose Verdugo 2-for-3, 2 R, BB, 2 SB (37); LF Alex Conover 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B; 3B Jorge Quintana 2-for-3, 2 R, HR (8), 3 RBI, 2 BB; DH Ty Harvey 3-for-5, R, 3 RBI, SB (9); 1B Dawson Willis 2-for-4, R, 2B, HR (6), 3 RBI; LHP Kruz Schoolcraft (W, 3-7) 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K; LHP Adler Cecil, 2.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Dawson Willis has impressed in his professional debut. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Prospect Watch: The Storm offense clicked Friday, going 7-for-17 with runners in scoring position to defeat Inland Empire at home. … Jorge Quintana had a massive game at the plate, reaching base three times. He singled, drew a walk, and had a three-run, inside-the-park homer in the win. The homer was his eighth of the year – all from the left side. With Elliot Lascelles in Lake Elsinore, the switch-hitting infielder has slid over to third base more often. The 19-year-old struggled badly in August, hitting a putrid .159/.263/.319, however, he’s getting hot again. Over his last three games, the switch-hitter is 7-for-12 with just one strikeout. Quintana has the talent to develop into something, but he’s struggled to find consistency. He doesn’t turn 20 until next April. … Ty Harvey started at designated hitter and had three singles. Last year’s fifth-round pick out of high school also drove in a run and stole his ninth base. Harvey has battled injuries this season, but he’s shown flashes of offensive potential, and Friday was a prime example. Harvey has a .653 OPS for the Storm this season. … Dawson Willis hit the ball hard Friday, socking a double, and, improbably, the club’s second inside-the-park homer of the night. The University of Oklahoma product has shown impressive power potential this season, collecting six homers and a .198 isolated power rate in 48 Cal League games, but also has a penchant for whiffing. Coming into Friday’s game, Willis has struck out in 37% of his plate appearances. Subscribers can read more on the former undrafted free agent, who has a wRC+ of 110 for the Storm. … Kruz Schoolcraft put the finishing touches on his first full pro season by tossing five solid innings to earn a victory. The 19-year-old worked around three hits and three walks while giving up two earned runs and striking out three. The 2025 first-rounder struggled with consistency all year, enduring a brutal April and August, but posting a solid 3.47 ERA in July. He fought his mechanics all year, walking an unsustainable 15.5% of the batters he faced while struggling to generate the velocity he showed in high school. He will finish with a 5.90 ERA. The Storm have playoff games Tuesday and Thursday, and Schoolcraft is in line to pitch a decisive game three against Ontario if the series gets that far.
