SAN ANTONIO (Sept. 1, 2026) — Braedon Karpathios hammered a no-doubt grand slam over the right field wall in the second stanza to set the tone for the San Antonio Missions (25-33) offense, and Albert Fabian sent a tape-measure shot to score two more runs in the fourth frame as the duo led the way for an emphatic 7-1 win over the Midland RockHounds (29-29).
Missions Southpaw starter Jamie Hitt battled his way out of the first three innings against a relentless Midland offense. Hitt stranded runners at the corners in the opening frame with a strikeout after two infield singles and a wild pitch slowed down his quick start to the inning. Hitt ran into trouble in his next turn allowing another base hit and a walk but bounced back quickly with a punchout and groundout double play. The Webster, Texas native escaped a bases loaded situation with a groundout in the third stanza after surrendering consecutive walks and plunking Clark Elliott. Hitt left seven RockHounds on base after a taxing three innings to keep the Missions in the fight.
Fabian got the San Antonio offense rolling with a leadoff double in the second inning. Luis Verdugo followed by sending a frozen rope into the left field gap and Brendan Durfee took a free pass to first base as the Missions filled the house on Midland starter Braden Nett, the former Mission. Karpathios crushed a cookie over the right field wall for a grand slam to put the Missions up 4-0 early.
Verdugo and Durfee kept surging in the third inning after a walk and a seeing-eye single. Karpathios racked up another RBI after his line drive into the right field alley to score Verdugo.
Missions reliever Francis Peña started the fourth frame with a strikeout but allowed back-to-back walks after throwing eight straight balls that led to a double steal, putting two RockHounds in scoring position. Peña overcame the challenge by striking out Casey Yamauchi and Brennan Milone to eliminate the threats.
Tirso Ornelas knocked in his 30th double of the season to start off the bottom of the fourth and Fabian clobbered a meatball onto The Wolff digital board for a two-run homer to grow the Mission lead 7-0.
Ali Camarillo helped score the only run of the night for Midland in the fifth inning with an RBI double following an Elliott walk.
San Antonio’s Igor Gil delivered a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh stanza, capping it off with a punchout, and Josh Mallitz slammed the door with final strikeouts in the ninth inning to close out the 7-1 Missions win.
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It's a paw-some night at the park! Dogs get in free, so bring your best friend along for the game. All pets must be leashed at all times, and please clean up after your pup. Let's play ball - and fetch! 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.
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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.