SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 19, 2026) — Albert Fabian and the San Antonio Missions (22-25) fought their way back against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (18-29) after trailing twice in the contest. Fabian ignited the offensive spark with consecutive hits in back-to-back turns to help Eric Yost in his flawless piggyback performance on the mound as the two pushed the Missions to a 3-2 win.
Northwest Arkansas initially took the lead off of a Colton Becker RBI base hit after Daniel Vazquez got on base with a hit of his own and stole a bag. San Antonio’s Justin DeCriscio responded with a repeat of a leadoff single and stolen base in the second inning and sprinted into third safely after a Canyon Brown throwing error. Wyatt Hoffman walked onto first base after a free pass to put runners at the corners with no outs. Anthony Vilar was ruled out after a sacrifice bunt, but he scored DeCriscio in the process to tie the game 1-1.
Lefty starter Luis Gutierrez returned to The Wolff for his first start in four months after coming off injury and rehab. Gutierrez pitched 2.2 innings and struck out a batter in each of the first three frames before coming up just short of finishing the third after allowing a second run to the Naturals.
The trio of DeCriscio, Hoffman and Vilar almost repeated a similar scoring sequence in the fourth stanza to tie the contest again until Vilar grounded into a twin killing that shutdown the Missions offense.
Fabian answered the call for the Missions with a leadoff double in the fifth frame; Alex McCoy stared down four straight balls to waltz into first base while advancing Fabian into scoring position. Romeo Sanabria sent a hard-hit ground ball into center field after a friendly bounce off the mound bought Fabian enough time to loop around and cross the plate for a 2-2 deadlock.
The Missions remained patient in their at bats in the next turn as they took another base on balls, Kai Roberts paced back and forth in the baserunner’s lane before successfully swiping a bag. Fabian came through again for the Missions, sending a grounder into the left field gap to score Roberts and retake the lead 3-2.
Yost steamrolled through the Northwest Arkansas order with three 1-2-3 innings and six strikeouts in a season-high 6.1 innings. Although allowing four hits, Yost responded by shutting out the threat each time, cruising throughout the rest of the night to keep the Missions defense comfortable in the 3-2 win.
Up Next:
The Missions and Naturals continue their six-game series Thursday at 7:05 p.m. Aloha! Summer may be winding down, but we're still vibing here at the Wolff! The first 1,500 fans through the gates will receive a Hawaiian Shirt giveaway presented by San Antonio Water Systems. It's Flying Chanclas Night every Thursday! The entire ballpark is discounted for Taco Bell Value Night. Score savings on seats throughout the stadium plus $2 hot dogs, $2 American draft beer, $2 soda and $2 popcorn. Pick up a Loteria card at the gates or Customer Service and play along in-game for a chance to win fun prizes! Catch all the action on Country Legends KKYX, 680 AM, 104.9 FM and kkyx.com. Tickets are available at samissions.com or by calling 210-675-7275.
***
The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The Missions were established in 1888 and have brought affordable family fun to the Alamo City for more than 120 seasons. The 13-time Texas League champions play their home games at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium. For more information and tickets, call 210-675-7275 or visit samissions.com.