SAN ANTONIO (July 3, 2026) — Andrew Thurman, Harry Gustin and Bernard Jose combined to shut out the Amarillo Sod Poodles (4-6) as the San Antonio Missions (5-5) took home a 3-0 victory on Friday. The stellar pitching received timely support from the offense, especially Tirso Ornelas, who drove in a pair of runs to help the Missions win.
Carson Tucker got The Wolff crowd rocking early with a leadoff single in the opening frame and advanced from first to third with one out. Tirso Ornelas sent a ball to center field for a sacrifice fly to buy the speedster just enough time to tag up from third base to score a run before the end of the first inning, giving the Missions a 1-0 that lasted for quite some time.
Thurman rolled through the Amarillo order in the second inning with a 1-2-3 inning before getting out of a jam in the third stanza that started off with two strikeouts but then saw Sod Poodles reach. Cristofer Torin hit a line drive single and Jansel Luis was hit by a pitch to quickly put runners on against Thurman. Torin and Luis advanced into a scoring position after a wild pitch, but a groundout prevented any further danger to close the inning.
Thurman put away the Sod Poodles in order again in the fourth frame before being pulled for teammate Gustin after giving away a free pass to start off the fifth inning. Gustin took over pitching duties to provide two scoreless innings to keep Amarillo at bay. For Thurman, the four scoreless innings marked a season high.
The Missions order remained patient yet hungry for runs to pad their lead in the seventh inning. Three consecutive walks to Francisco Acuña, Luis Verdugo and a pinch-hitting Ethan Salas loaded the bases on Amarillo reliever Logan Meracdo after a 10 pitch at bat. Mercado gave away another free pass to Ornelas for a run to score with two away. Birthday boy Jake Cunningham was gifted a cookie from Mercado for an RBI single for the Missions to go up 3-0.
The Missions bullpen continued to keep Amarillo scoreless for the next three innings as Jose made his home debut for the Missions with an impressive outing, keeping the Soddies scoreless for the rest of the night while mixing in a strikeout to complete the Missions’ shutout 3-0 win.
Up Next:
The Missions and Sod Poodles continue their six-game series on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. Join us at the Wolff for the H-E-B Independence Day Celebration! The night starts with a pregame hot dog eating contest, followed by Missions baseball, continues with a postgame concert featuring Wade Bowen, and ends with our Independence Day Celebration fireworks spectacular lighting up the San Antonio sky. Catch all the action on Country Legends KKYX, 680 AM, 104.9 FM and kkyx.com. Tickets are available at saChanclas.com or by calling 210-675-7275.
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The San Antonio Chanclas are the Double-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The Chanclas 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 saChanclas.com.