WICHITA, Kan. (June 5, 2026) — Three San Antonio Missions (23-32) pitchers, led by Miguel Mendez, combined to shut out the Wichita Turbo Tubs (22-31) in a nail-biting 2-0 win for San Antonio. Mendez, the third-ranked prospect in the San Diego Padres system according to MLB Pipeline, tossed five scoreless innings as the Missions took their third game of the series.
Both starters went back-and-forth through the first three innings, utilizing great defense to keep the game scoreless. Mendez faced the minimum through three despite allowing runners on in each frame as an outfield assist from Braedon Karpathios in the first, a 6-4-3 double play in the second and a pickoff by Mendez himself in the third erased them all.
San Antonio struck in the fourth when Tirso Ornelas doubled and Braedon Karpathios singled, putting runners at the corners with no one out. Karpathios stole second, and the pressure of two in scoring position got to Jose Olivares. The righty got tagged with a balk call, bringing Ornelas across the plate. The Missions stranded Karpathios, but they left the frame up 1-0.
One run proved to be more than enough for Mendez to work with. He struck out a pair in the fourth before wrapping up the fifth with an around-the-horn double play turned by Luis Verdugo, Ryan Jackson and Albert Fabian. That’s where the night ended for Mendez, who threw just 58 pitches through his five scoreless innings.
Eric Yost took over in the sixth, and the Turbo Tubs threatened as they loaded the bases with two walks and a fielder’s choice. Yost locked in, however, and forced back-to-back pop ups by Garrett Spain and Billy Amick to escape the jam with the 1-0 lead.
Yost again walked the leadoff man in the seventh, but he again stranded him as he ended the inning with a strikeout. With the game headed to the eighth, San Antonio still led 1-0.
The Missions added insurance in the eighth. Carson Tucker began the inning with a walk and promptly stole second, one of a season-high five stolen bases for the Missions. He advanced to third on an Ethan Salas groundout before Romeo Sanabria drove him in with a single, making it 2-0 Missions.
In the bottom of the eighth, Yost walked the first two batters, forcing manager Chris Tremie to turn to the bullpen. Johan Moreno entered, and he tiptoed around danger, including with a flyout to the warning track from Amick, to maintain San Antonio’s 2-0 lead into the ninth inning.
San Antonio loaded the bases in the ninth, but Yehizon Sanchez kept the game at 2-0 in favor of San Antonio. In the bottom of the ninth, a Jaime Ferrer double against Moreno put a runner in scoring position for Wichita, but Moreno punched out the pinch-hitter, Andrew Cossetti, to seal San Antonio’s win.
Up Next:
The Missions continue their series against the Wichita Turbo Tubs on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. at Equity Bank Park. Lefty Jagger Haynes (1-2, 4.65) faces Sam Armstrong (1-5, 5.23). 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.