Missions Snatch Series in Arkansas with Thrilling Extra-Inning Victory

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Missions Snatch Series in Arkansas with Thrilling Extra-Inning Victory

June 1, 2025 - Texas League (TL)
San Antonio Missions News Release


NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A 0-0 game broke open in the tenth when the San Antonio Missions (28-23) scored four in extra innings to clinch both a 4-2 Sunday victory and a series win against the Arkansas Travelers (26-25). Brandon Valenzuela's RBI double burst the scoreless tie, Marcos Castañon provided the exclamation point with a two-run homer, and Anthony Vilar rescued the game with two marvelous plays at second base.

Victor Lizarraga put forward his best start of the season with 5.1 scoreless innings. He allowed five hits and three walks while striking out five as Lizarraga recorded an out in the sixth inning for the first time all year. Josè Geraldo took the win and Manuel Castro recorded his eighth save to take the Texas League lead in that department.

The Travelers placed runners on base in each of the first four innings, but Lizarraga relied on some help from his good friend, catcher Brandon Valenzuela, who caught three runners trying to steal. Arkansas came into the ballgame leading Double-A baseball with 104 stolen bases, making Valenzuela's display even more impressive.

Arkansas's biggest threat against Lizarraga came in the fourth, when they loaded the bases despite Victor Labrada's lead-off walk getting erased by Valenzuela. The lengthy frame came to an end when Lizarraga induced Josh Hood into a weak grounder.

Hill held the Missions down offensively as well. He spread three hits and two walks across six scoreless innings.

Lizarraga came out for the sixth and retired an out to secure his longest outing of the 2025 season. Carter Loewen replaced him and held the line with 1.2 clean frames.

It became a battle of the bullpens once Hill exited for Jason Ruffcorn in the seventh. San Antonio knocked a pair of two-out hits off Ruffcorn, but a smart cutoff by the shortstop Hood trapped Kai Murphy and quickly squashed the threat. The Missions applied additional pressure in the eighth inning, this time against Jimmy Kingsbury, but a nice play by second baseman Blake Rambusch left two more on base for San Antonio.

Ryan Och took the mound in the eighth for the Missions, and he allowed the first two men to reach via a walk and bunt single. He locked things down from there, utilizing a tremendous diving stop at second by Vilar to send the game locked at zero into the ninth.

Three Missions walked in the ninth against Michael Hobbs, but Nerwilian Cedeño got caught trying to steal. This helped Hobbs escape, as he set down pinch-hitter Moisès Gòmez to bring the Travelers to the plate in the ninth. That's when Josè Geraldo entered and quickly delivered the game into extra innings for the second consecutive day.

Lightning finally struck in the tenth. The ghost runner, Gòmez, stole third to force the infield in. Valenzuela then smacked a double over first and into right field, breaking the scoreless tie in favor of the Missions. San Antonio didn't stop there. Romeo Sanabria drove in Valenzuela with his third hit of the game before Castañon demolished a two-run homer to catapult the Missions ahead 4-0.

San Antonio needed those extra tallies as things became dicey in the tenth. Geraldo allowed a run on a Labrada single and left the game with the bases loaded. Castro took over and walked Jared Sundstrom to make it 4-2 with the bases still loaded and two outs. Hunter Fitz-Gerald rolled a ball that seemed destined for the outfield, but Vilar again extended fully with a dive to make the stop and threw to first in time to save the game for San Antonio.

UP NEXT:

The Missions head home to begin a six-game series against the Midland RockHounds on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. It is AARP $2 Tuesday, so fans can get $2 outfield reserved/bullpen/berm tickets, $2 American draft beer, $2 hot dogs and $2 Sofia's pizza slices. Starters for both sides have not been announced. Tickets are available at samissions.com or by calling 210-675-7275. Fans can also visit the box office at Wolff Stadium on gamedays.

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