SAN ANTONIO (May 15, 2026) — Starting lefty Omar Cruz set the tone for the San Antonio Missions (14-23) bullpen with nine strikeouts in 3.1 innings as the Missions jumped all over the Wichita Wind Surge (17-19) with 14 hits in their 10-3 blowout win that included 20 strikeouts from the San Antonio pitching staff.
Cruz initially struck out the side in the first, but Ricardo Olivar remained on base after a swinging strikeout as Cruz’s pitch got away from Ethan Salas to buy Olivar enough time to reach safely. Cruz quickly found himself in a jam following a Kyle DeBarge single, but he eased the tension after getting Caleb Roberts to fly out.
Salas fired off a sharp line drive at 109 mph into center field to get the first hit for the Missions on the board in the second. Leandro Cedeño made it consecutive base knocks against Ty Langenberg for San Antonio, and a Tirso Ornelas groundout advanced the baserunners to second and third to crank the pressure up on Langenberg, yet the 24-year-old prevailed, getting Romeo Sanabria to fly out to quiet down the boisterous crowd at The Wolff.
Cedeño, Ornelas and Sanabria bore down on Lagenberg in their next turn with two walks and a double from San Antonio’s cleanup hitter. Langenberg was pulled for the second appearance of Spencer Bengard in this series with the bases loaded and two away. Bengard handed out the third free pass in the frame for a Missions score. Ryan Jackson then sent a ball just past the infield for a two-run single, widening the lead 3-0.
After surrendering a walk to Olivar, Cruz strung up DeBarge for his ninth putout, but Salas failed to secure the strikeout to be charged with his second passed ball as DeBarge snuck his way onto first base. Missions reliever Sadrac Franco replaced Cruz after a dazzling display for The Wolff crowd. Franco faced a full house after Andrew Cossetti was beamed on the shoulder to reach. What seemed to be a double play to escape the inning got away from the Missions infield as Sanabria at first was unable to secure a dot from Francisco Acuña. The overthrown defensive play led Wichita to cut into the Mission lead with two runs for the Wind Surge to trail by one run in the top of the fourth.
Carson Tucker shot a liner to center field to reach in the bottom of the frame to begin a quick response. A Salas groundout and Cedeño single sent Tucker around third as the burner slid across home plate to increase the Mission advantage 4-2. Franco set the Wind Surge down in order off 11 pitches to keep the Missions pitching staff rolling at the mound as he closed out the top of the fifth. It was not the same case for Wichita’s bullpen as Jacob Wosinski’s 11 consecutive balls helped the Missions extend their lead 5-2 in the fifth.
DeBarge continued his productive series against San Antonio with his second base hit of the night; however, Josh Mallitz picked off the overextended DeBarge to eliminate the threat. Mallitz walked Roberts and Cossetti followed by hammering a ball far into the left field corner to run in Roberts to keep chopping away at the Mission lead, now 5-3.
A game-changing sixth inning saw the Missions start running away with the lead. Salas earned a ticket to first off Wosinski’s fourth walk; the fifty-second nationally ranked prospect then stole second to eventually score off back-to-back knocks from Ornelas and Sanabria. Wichita’s Jarret Whorff attempted to stop the bleeding but was instead fed to the wolves as Karpathios and Jackson kept the good times rolling with consecutive RBI singles. Karpathios jogged in for the fourth run of the frame to balloon the lead 9-3 as a labored Whorff threw a wild pitch well past Cossetti.
The Missions stayed hungry for double-digit runs in the final stanzas. Tucker stole his seventh bag of the season after his second hit, and Ornelas sent a high bouncer that rolled into right field for an RBI single and third hit on the night. Francis Peña took charge of pitching duties for the remainder of the evening to wrap up the 10-3 win for the Missions with five K’s as he set down all six batters he faced.
Up Next:
The Missions and Wind Surge continue their six-game series on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. Victor Lizarraga (2-3, 7.61) goes against Jose Olivares (0-2, 9.58). Celebrate the spirit of neighborhood baseball on Sandlot Night! Grab your friends, bring your love of the game, and enjoy a nostalgic evening at the ballpark. The Missions will wear special Sandlot-themed jerseys during the game, which will be auctioned off after the game. The fun continues after the final out with a dazzling postgame fireworks show presented by George Salinas Injury Lawyers. 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.