Padres Down on the Farm: July 1 (Leyba 2 HR in SA/Wood HR, 3 hits in LE as team thrown no-hitter/Mears 2 doubles in ACL)
Credit: Storm
The San Diego Padres affiliates went 5-1 on Friday, as the Lake Elsinore Storm threw their first no-hitter in franchise history.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 11-8 vs. Oklahoma City) (42-34 on the season)
Ryan Weathers: 5 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 5 K (99 pitches, 63 strikes)
Luis Liberato: (2-for-5), HR, 2B, 4 RBI, R, K
C.J. Hinojosa: (1-for-4), HR, 2 RBI, R
Brett Sullivan: (2-for-4), 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
The El Paso Chihuahuas proved that it is theoretically possible for a team paid for by the San Diego Padres to beat a team named the Dodgers, winning a slugfest. Ryan Weathers struggled his way through five innings, allowing four runs, and 14 baserunners in his outing. The Dodgers jumped out to a two-run lead in the first, but the Chihuahuas answered with four in the bottom of the frame, including a two-run double from Eguy Rosario. Oklahoma City tied the game in the fifth with a home run from Jason Martin, but El Paso’s offense scored three times in the fifth to take the lead. Martin’s second home run of the night tied the game again in the sixth, but Luis Liberato and C.J. Hinojosa went back to back in the seventh, putting El Paso ahead for good. It was an extremely exciting back and forth game, but the Chihuahuas evened up the series with the victory.
San Antonio Missions (Won 9-5 vs. Midland) (40-31 on the season)
Lake Bachar: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (29 pitches, 20 strikes)
Domingo Leyba: (4-for-5), 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R
Tirso Ornelas: (1-for-4), 2B, 2 RBI, R, K
Ripken Reyes: (2-for-4), R, SB, 2 K
The Missions rode an eight-run fourth inning and two home runs from Domingo Leyba, pushing them to a win. San Antonio had just one hit in the first three innings, but they sent 11 batters to the plate in the fourth, eight of which scored. Tirso Ornelas’ two-run double tied the game before Leyba’s three-run home run gave the Missions plenty of cushion. Leyba added a second home run in the ninth, putting the cherry on top of a four-hit day, while Lake Bachar earned the win with two perfect innings. Midland would have brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but a base-running error with the bases loaded meant San Antonio secured the win.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 4-0 to West Michigan) (28-45 on the season)
Efrain Contreras: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K (64 pitches, 43 strikes)
Robert Hassell III: (2-for-3), BB
Max Ferguson: (1-for-4), K
Corey Rosier: (0-for-2), 2 BB, SB
The TinCaps offense struggled again, posting just four singles in a shutout loss. Robert Hassell III reached base three times, serving as the only productive piece in Fort Wayne’s offense. Efrain Contreras worked five solid innings, allowing just two runs, but that was plenty to guarantee that he received the loss. Cole Cummings and Max Ferguson were the only other TinCaps to record hits, but both Jarryd Dale and Corey Rosier walked twice in the loss. Fort Wayne lost their third consecutive game and sixth of their last seven.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won 15-0 vs. Inland Empire) (45-28 on the season)
Garrett Hawkins: 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K (77 pitches, 54 strikes)
James Wood: (3-for-5), HR, 3B, 4 RBI, 2 R, K
Marcos Castanon: (2-for-5), HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
Juan Zabala: (2-for-5), HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, K
The Lake Elsinore Storm finally secured their first no-hitter in franchise history. It was nearly a perfect game, as Garrett Hawkins threw seven perfect frames. Alan Mundo retired the first four batters he faced, but he hit Jose Bonilla, ending the perfect game bid. However, he induced a groundout from Aron Vera after a diving play from Carlos Luis, which secured the historic no-hitter.
IT’S A NO HITTER IN LAKE ELSINORE!!!#YourHomeTeam pic.twitter.com/yhSM5ieBax
— Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball (@Storm_Baseball) July 2, 2022
It was also an incredible day at the plate for the Storm, who scored 15 times, posted 18 hits, 10 of which were for extra bases. James Wood came a double short of the cycle, while Marcos Castanon homered for the second straight night. Juan Zabala also hit a home run. Wyatt Hoffman, Trevor’s son, hit a triple and stole home in the game as well. Lake Elsinore scored seven times in the sixth inning, allowing the Storm fans to focus on the quest for history.
DSL Padres (Won 8-4 vs. DSL BAL Black) (13-8 on the season)
Aldo Leija: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Enmanuel Pinales: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 3 K
Adrian Perez: (1-for-3), 2 RBI, R, BB, K
Heber Villalobos: (1-for-3), 2B, RBI, 2 R, HBP
The Padres rode a very strong pitching tandem of Aldo Leija and Enmanuel Pinales, who combined to allow just one unearned run in the first eight innings of the game. Joel Asencio allowed three runs in the ninth, but all three were also unearned, as the Padres defense made three errors. However, the Padres’ offense scored four times in the first two innings, giving them plenty of cushion to make errors. Adrian Perez reached base twice, driving in a pair of runs as well. Heber Villalobos doubled home a run in the sixth, as well as scoring twice in the victory.
ACL Padres (Won 9-8 vs. ACL Cubs in 8 Innings) (9-10 on the season)
Javier Chacon: 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 3 K
Juan Murillo: (3-for-4), RBI, 2 R, 2 SB
Joshua Mears: (2-for-5), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 K
Kelvin Alarcon: (2-for-4), R, BB, 2 SB
The Padres won in extra innings, squeaking out a victory. They scored four times in the first two frames, with Joshua Mears’ double getting the scoring started. The Cubs chased Padres starter Javier Chacon from the game with a two-run home run in the fourth, but Justin Diaz’s two-run single restored the Padres’ four-run advantage. The Cubs scored five times in the sixth inning, putting them ahead, but Juan Murillo tied the game in the top of the seventh with an RBI groundout. Murillo had three hits and stole two bases in the victory. In the Arizona Complex League (ACL), the games are seven innings, so Joshua Mears’ two-run double in the eighth was crucial. The Cubs scored one run in the bottom of the frame but could not force the ninth inning.
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Saturday’s Probables
El Paso: Luke Westphal (2-1, 3.86 ERA)
San Antonio: Osvaldo Hernandez (4-1, 6.08 ERA)
Fort Wayne: Robert Gasser (3-8, 4.15 ERA)
Lake Elsinore: TBD
DSL Padres: TBD
ACL Padres: TBD
Sam is a Senior in High School. He has been writing for three years, and started at EVT in June of 2021. He’s headed to Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Communications in the fall of 2023.