Saturday, Saturday, Saturday! Saturday nights are more than alright for Minor League Baseball, as Padres minor league affiliates went 3-1 in regular season action. 

Here is a recap of the day’s events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 12-8 vs Oklahoma City) (3-5 on the season)

Yonathan Perlaza – 2-for-3, Go-Ahead Two-RBI Double

Oscar Gonzalez – 3-for-5, Triple, RBI

Stephen Kolek – 4 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 6 K (79 pitches – 56 strikes)

Reiss Knehr – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (13 pitches – 10 strikes)

In true PCL fashion, a high-scoring game ended in a miraculous comeback, as the Chihuahuas rallied to score four runs in the top of the ninth to break a four-game slide. El Paso’s offense showed patience and a real rugged nature at the plate, drawing ten walks and going off for 12 hits. Oscar Gonzalez continued his torrid pace at the plate, notching three hits and coming feet short of another home run. Brett Sullivan and Clay Dungan each singled to score two runs in  the first inning, chasing Comets starter and former Rockie Noah Davis with two outs. 

It’s not another homerun, but it is another RBI for Oscar Gonzalez

Were tied at 6. pic.twitter.com/e6VbVQn32X

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) April 6, 2025

Oklahoma City got plenty of base traffic against Chihuahuas starter Stephen Kolek, as the right-hander allowed ten hits in four innings of work. Despite the amount of baserunners, Kolek kept the ball in the zone and did not issue a free pass, instead punching six tickets. As a matter of fact, no out that Kolek recorded came on a flyout, as his out distribution was an even 50/50 split between strikeouts and groundouts. 

El Paso fought back with a sacrifice fly from Trenton Brooks and Gonzalez’s aforementioned RBI triple to tie the game. Kevin Kopps and Ethan Routzahn combined for three scoreless innings in relief of Kolek, keeping the game within slam range until the Chihuahuas tied it. Trenton Brooks reclaimed the lead for visiting Chihuahuas with a two-RBI single in the top of the eighth, but the lead didn’t last. Tom Cosgrove walked four in the bottom of the eighth, including walking in the tying run, but escaped the inning tied. 

Brooks puts another 2 in the books ? pic.twitter.com/B5q0KKU2De

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) April 6, 2025

Facing left-hander Jose Hernandez, Clay Dungan reached on the softest of singles with one out in the walk, and Hernandez walked Mason McCoy to put runners on first and second. Yonathan Perlaza, who entered the game late after Forrest Wall departed, doubled down the left field line to score both runners and give El Paso a 10-8 lead. Perlaza himself would score on a single from Tyler Wade that took an odd bounce away from Comets left fielder (and former Padre) Esteury Ruiz to extend El Paso’s lead to three, and Wade came around to score on a Brooks double. 

Perlaza, Wade, and Brooks oh my.

Perlaza, Wade, and Brooks all add RBIs in the 9th.

?s up 4 pic.twitter.com/Hm17ur1CkO

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) April 6, 2025

With a four-run lead, Reiss Knehr came on for the bottom of the ninth and plowed through the final three batters of the game, with Justin Dean, Hyeseong Kim, and Dalton Rushing all going down by way of the K to lock down a Chihuahuas victory. 

First road win MOOD ??

Reiss Knehr closes out the dominant performance with 3 strikeouts to end the night. pic.twitter.com/L3kxPJUZW2

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) April 6, 2025

Reiss Knehr made his second appearance for @epchihuahuas with a scoreless ninth earlier, striking out the side in the ninth inning.

Definitely an arm to watch as he aims to return to the bigs! pic.twitter.com/qTlOpy3np9

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) April 6, 2025

El Paso returns to action Sunday, with left-hander Wes Benjamin taking the mound. The first pitch is at 12:05 pm Pacific. 

San Antonio Missions (Won 8-2 vs Amarillo) (2-0 on the season)

Romeo Sanabria – 3-for-5, Double, RBI

Brandon Valenzuela – 1-for-4, Two-Run Home Run

Henry Baez – 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K (51 pitches – 31 strikes)

San Antonio took a 4-2 lead in the first inning and never looked back, winning by a final score of 8-2. Henry Baez started for the Missions, and the right-hander had a busy first inning of the season. Baez walked Andy Weber and Tommy Troy doubled to set up second and third with no outs for the Sod Poodles. Baez induced a groundout to the right side for out number one, with Weber coming in the back door to score the first run of the game. After a strikeout for the second out, outfielder Jack Hurley singled to score Troy and extend the Amarillo lead to 2-0 after half an inning. 

The Missions, however, came out swinging. Brandon Valenzuela took a low breaking ball from Sod Poodles starter Avery Short and launched it to deep center field for a game-tying home run, an impressive feat at a pitcher-friendly park like Nelson Wolff Stadium. Moises Gomez and Marcos Castanon went back-to-back with one out to give San Antonio a 4-2 lead after five batters. The Missions chased Short with two outs in the first, and added on against the Sod Poodles bullpen in the ensuing inning. Valenzuela walked, and Romeo Sanabria doubled before Gomez and Castanon led the charge again. Gomez hit a sac fly to score Valenzuela, and Castanon launched a double to center field to score Sanabria from second, stretching the lead to 6-2. 

Passing the sombrero ? pic.twitter.com/3khMMButaP

— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) April 6, 2025

While Baez’s day came to an end after two innings and 51 pitches, reliever Miguel Cienfuegos delivered a blistering relief performance: four innings pitched, three hits, no walks, and seven strikeouts. The left-hander reached Triple-A last season and could be an intriguing depth arm for the organization this season. 

The fifth inning saw the last scoring of the game, as Devin Ortiz and Francisco Acuna hit RBI singles to bring the lead to six runs. The lead was more than enough for the San Antonio bullpen, as Stephen Jones (making his Padres organization debut) struck out three in 1.2 innings, and Eduarniel Nunez struck out two to close out the game, securing San Antonio’s second consecutive win. 

The Missions return to action in a Sunday matinee, with Braden Nett taking the mound. The first pitch is scheduled for 11:05 am. Pacific Time. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 4-1 vs Lansing) (2-0 on the season)

Brendan Durfee – 2-for-4, Two-RBI Double

Brandon Butterworth – 2-for-3, Two-RBI Double

Isaiah Lowe – 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K (57 pitches – 34 strikes)

Garrett Hawkins – 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (24 pitches – 17 strikes)

Another win in the books for Fort Wayne, as starter Isaiah Lowe made a great impression in his first start of the season. Lowe pitched four solid innings of one-run baseball, recording just one strikeout but scattering two hits and a run. Lowe retired the first six batters he faced, only facing trouble in the third inning, when he allowed a run to come across on a bases-loaded hit batter. That was the only scoring for Lansing in the ballgame, as Lowe exited the third without further damage and tossed a scoreless fourth before handing the game off to the bullpen. 

The 1-0 deficit for the TinCaps didn’t last, as Leo De Vries again set the table for a TinCaps rally. De Vries walked with two outs, and Jack Costello drew a walk after, setting two on with two outs. Brendan Durfee stepped up to the plate. The former 420th overall pick lined a go-ahead two-run double to the left-center field gap, scoring De Vries and Costello to flip the score to 2-1 TinCaps. 

@durfee_brendan With a go-ahead two run double!! #TinCaps take the kead. pic.twitter.com/wQG519yBOF

— Friars On The Farm (@Friarsonthefarm) April 5, 2025

Right-hander Garrett Hawkins was summoned to relieve Isaiah Lowe, and in his first appearance on a professional mound in 702 days, he looked like he never missed a beat. Hawkins tossed two scoreless innings on 24 pitches, striking out four and generating some ugly swings from Lugnuts batters. 

It’s been 702 (!!) days since Garrett Hawkins pitched in a baseball game.

The righty dominated in his first appearance since rehabbing from Tommy John surgery with the @TinCaps. Hawkins earned K’s and a W in Saturday’s 4-1 victory!@madfriars @EVT_News @Friarsonthefarm pic.twitter.com/aeYoaoENgo

— Josh Ayen (@Josh_Ayen) April 5, 2025

The score remained at 2-1 going into the eighth inning, where Nerwilian Cedeno and Oswaldo Linares reached base and stole their way to second and third with two outs. On a 1-2 pitch, second baseman Brandon Butterworth sent a charge into one, sending a fly ball to left center field for a two-RBI double, doubling the lead to 4-1 TinCaps. 

Two-run double for Brandon Butterworth @TinCaps lead 4-1 pic.twitter.com/y9UkJLOoXt

— Al Scott (@AlScott1998) April 5, 2025

Fernando Sanchez, on in relief for the eighth inning, went back out for the ninth, and while he issued two walks to bring the tying run to the plate with two outs, Sanchez ultimately reeled in his command and struck out Lugnuts catcher Cole Conn for the final out, putting a bow on a 4-1 win. 

Eric Yost takes the mound for Fort Wayne in the series finale on Sunday morning. The first pitch is set for 10:05 a.m. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 6-1 vs Rancho Cucamonga) (0-2 on the season)

Zach Evans – 2-for-5, RBI Single

Yendry Rojas – 2-for-4, Run Scored

Bryan Balzer – 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 K (51 pitches – 32 strikes)

Lake Elsinore’s offense struggled early for a second consecutive ballgame, scoring once in a 6-1 loss that was closer than the score would suggest. Storm starter Bryan Balzer showed impressive stuff in three innings of work, getting 67% of his outs via the strikeout. Balzer allowed two runs in the first inning, with Joendry Vargas tripling to give Rancho Cucamonga a 2-0 lead. Samuel Munoz singled to score Vargas to extend the lead to 3-0, but Balzer would allow no more runs to score, retiring six of the seven final batters he faced. 

The Storm’s offense had a chance to take an early lead with Zach Evans singling and Ryan Jackson doubling to put runners on second and third with one out. Facing right-hander Aidan Foeller, Lake Elsinore looked primed to score, but Lamar King Jr and Daniel Montesino struck out to end the inning. 

Right-hander Jesus Lopez fired off 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, striking out three in the process, allowing the Storm to have a chance to come back. These middle relief innings came in handy, as the Storm surged to life in the top of the seventh inning. Yendry Rojas singled with one out and reached third base after a groundout and wild pitch. Ryan Jackson walked, and Zach Evans singled to right field to score Rojas, trimming the deficit to 3-1. While Lamar King Jr walked to put the tying run on base, Daniel Montesino struck out to end the scoring threat. 

Not scoring more came back to bite the Storm, as reliever Yovannki Pascual surrendered three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, with a throwing error and passed ball from catcher Colton Vincent leading to two of the three runs. Down 6-1 and with two on, Igor Gil took over on the mound and got a lineout double play to end the inning. Ultimately, that would be the game, as Lake Elsinore failed to record a hit over the final two innings, falling 6-1. 

Lake Elsinore returns to play for the series finale, with the first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Pacific.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.