SAN ANTONIO (Sept. 4, 2026) — A Tirso Ornelas solo homer helped spark a four-run fifth inning rally for Las Flying Chanclas de San Antonio (27-34), who clawed back from down five in the seesaw battle against the Midland RockHounds (29-32). San Antonio scored three more runs in the late frames to out best the RockHounds 8-7 after trailing 4-0 and 6-1.
Flying Chanclas lefty Fernando Sanchez fought against a persistent RockHounds offense early in the contest. Jared Sprague-Lott knocked in a triple after sending a ground ball into the left outfield corner and scored after a sacrifice fly in the opening frame. Sanchez plunked Casey Yamauchi after a low pitch in the second stanza but struck out the next threat in Pedro Pineda. Cameron Leary kept the Mexican southpaw working after a nine-pitch at bat that resulted in a walk, and Ali Camarillo blasted a line drive into left field for a two-run double to grow the RockHound lead to 3-0. Nate Nankil knocked in a run off San Antonio reliever Sadrac Franco in his RBI single in the third inning after the RockHounds loaded the bases to extened their lead 4-0.
Corey Avant kept the Flying Chanclas offense at bay in the first three innings holding them to no hits while mixing in two punchouts. Although Avant kept rolling in the fourth frame with strikeouts of Albert Fabian and Romeo Sanabria, he surrendered a solo home run to Ornelas that gave the Flying Chanclas some much needed life.
Midland punched back with a Yamauchi leadoff double in the top of the fifth frame; Pineda followed with a sacrifice bunt to send Yamauchi into third base. CJ Rodriguez and Camarillo teamed up for back-to-back hits to score two more RockHounds before the end of the inning to dwindle the Flying Chanclas hopes of a comeback.
San Antonio was down but not out as the Flying Chanclas surged for a four-run fifth inning to get themselves back into the fight. The Flying Chanclas ganged up on a fatigued Avant after his initial K to begin the bottom of the fifth. The bottom of the order for San Antonio managed to load the bases against Avant after a walk, base hit and another walk. Midland’s Stevie Emanuels took over pitching duties to squeeze out of the jam, but Braedon Karpathios answered the call for the Flying Chanclas sending a frozen rope into center field for a two-run double. A rattled Emanuels lost control in his delivery that resulted in a wild pitch that allowed another run to score while sending Karpathios into third base. Ornelas delivered again for San Antonio with an RBI double before the end of the inning to cut down the Midland lead 6-5.
Flying Chanclas newcomer Carlos Medina remained poised in his Double-A debut keeping the RockHounds scoreless in crucial sixth and seventh innings to keep the San Antonio in the fight.
Karpathios sparked another rally for San Antonio in the seventh after scoring off his second double of the night with some assistance from a Romeo Sanabria RBI single. Flying Chanclas speedster Kai Roberts pinch ran for Sanabria and quickly stole second and third base with two away, but a final strikeout kept the score at a 6-6 deadlock.
The back-and-forth affair continued into the late stages of the eighth inning as Midland reclaimed the lead after against Josh Mallitz. Mallitz started off strong with a swinging strikeout of Sprague-Lott but surrendered consecutive hits and double that swung momentum back into the RockHounds favor.
Luis Verdugo and Wyatt Hoffman kept fighting for the Flying Chanclas in their next turn with back-to-back hits and teamed up for a double steal during Alex McCoy’s pinch-hitting appearance at the plate. McCoy received a free pass to load the bases after a long at bat which then set up Karpathios for a clutch two-run single to grab the lead back from the RockHounds.
Mallitz danced through the top of the ninth after a flyout. Leary was walked and Rodriguez knocked in his fourth hit of the night to put Leary into scoring position, but Mallitz got out of the jam after a popout and groundout to conclude the Flying Chanclas 8-7 comeback win over the RockHounds.
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The Force is strong at the Wolff on Star Wars Night! Join us as the galaxy far, far away takes over for an epic evening of galactic fun! Fans are encouraged to dress as their favorite characters. The Missions will wear special Star Wars-themed jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game. Stick around after the game for a special Star Wars-themed drone show presented by Alzheimer's Association. 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.