Missions Rally Again In Ninth To Finish Sweep
Published on June 3, 2011 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
San Antonio, Texas - The San Antonio Missions scored three runs in the bottom of the 9th inning for a 6-5 victory over the Arkansas Travelers completing a three-game sweep at Wolff Stadium. Matt Meyer allowed all three runs in 0.2 innings on four walks and two base hits. Coming into the game Meyer was working on a string of 13 scoreless innings pitched. The tying and winning runs scored on back-to-back bases loaded walks taken by Sawyer Carroll and Eddy Rodriguez. The Travs left 12 runners on base and finished 2-for-14 with a runner in scoring position. Ryan Mount led a 12-hit attack with a 3-for-4 night including a double and a run batted in.
The Travelers fall three games behind first-place Tulsa at 23-25, while the Missions remains seven games ahead in the south division at 36-17.
The Missions scored five runs in the ninth inning during the series, mounting two ninth-inning comebacks and leaving the Travs on the field in each game. Tonight Trevor Reckling pitched well enough for his second win, but earned a no-decision after allowing three runs on six hits in six innings pitched. Reckling struck out four against three walks.
San Antonio started right hander Jorge Reyes and he issued a first-inning leadoff walk to Mike Trout. Darwin Perez singled moving Trout to second base, and Mount followed with a groundball single to center field driving Trout home for a 1-0 lead.
Reckling stumbled early though as Jaff Decker bunted his way on base before Reckling walked Kyle Blanks. Then James Darnell lined a three-run homer (11) to left field giving the Missions a 3-1 lead.
Reckling stiffened and didn't allow another run over his remaining five innings, leaving five runners.
In the fourth inning the Travs rallied to tie the game getting a leadoff walk from Roberto Lopez and a double from Clay Fuller putting the tying runs in scoring position. Dillon Baird brought home Lopez with a sacrifice fly, then Fuller beat a throw to the plate on a squeeze bunt by Rosario tying the game at 3-3.
Reyes was done after the fifth charged with three runs on five hits and three walks adding five strikeouts. Eddie Kuna pitched a scoreless sixth inning, but the Travs got to Craig Italiano in the seventh. Perez drag bunted for a single then moved up on a single by Mount. Starting behind the plate for San Antonio, Rodriguez attempted to pick Perez off second base but threw the ball to centerfield moving Perez to third. He scored when Lopez punched an RBI single to center for a 4-3 Travs lead. With a chance to plate more runs, Fuller was induced into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
The Travs put Italiano in a tight spot again in the eighth inning getting singles from Baird and Rosario to put runners at the corners. Jon Townsend executed the second squeeze bunt of the game for the Travs driving in pinch runner Angel Castillo for a 5-3 lead. Italiano got Perez to bounce to the mound and Gabe Jacobo to groundout leaving the bases loaded.
Arkansas right handed reliever Jose Reyes held the lead over his two innings without allowing a run on one hit, three walks and four strikeouts.
The Travs had another opportunity fall by the wayside in the ninth inning against Missions reliever Erik Hamren. After a leadoff double by Lopez, he was tagged out at third base when Fuller bunted hard back to the mound. A single by Castillo gave them another chance, but Hamren got Rosario to ground into a double play to hold the lead at 5-3 for the Travelers.
Meyer got his third save chance, but couldn't get the job done as Daniel Robertson hit a leadoff single. With one out, Meyer walked Blanks and allowed a long double from Darnell off the left field wall that scored Robertson and sent Blanks to third base. After striking out Vince Belnome, the lefty intentionally walked right handed hitting Beamer Weems to face lefty Sawyer Carroll. He walked on five pitches before to force in Blanks with the tying run. Then Meyer went to a full count on Rodriguez, before missing outside with the last pitch of the game.
Texas League Stories from June 3, 2011
- Drillers Record Another "Major" Win - Tulsa Drillers
- Missions Rally Again In Ninth To Finish Sweep - Arkansas Travelers
- Missions Sweep Travelers In Three Game Series - San Antonio Missions
- Naturals skid hits five as Frisco sweeps - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Cardinals Beat Hooks 3-1 - Springfield Cardinals
- RoughRiders score 18 runs, sweep Naturals - Frisco RoughRiders
- Game Notes, June 3 - Springfield at Corpus Christi - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Robert Earl Keen to Headline Ziegfest - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Blanks Homer Beats Travs - Arkansas Travelers
- Spina's Homer Drops Drillers in the 12th - Tulsa Drillers
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