Padres Down on the Farm: July 4 (Tucupita homers for EP/Acosta 2 hits in LE/Henry 3+ scoreless innings)
Credit: Storm Baseball
The San Diego Padres affiliates went 0-4 on Sunday.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Chihuahuas: (Lost 12-7 to Albuquque) (23-28 on the season)
Tucupita Marcano – (3-for-5) 2 R, HR, 2B
Gosuke Katoh – (2-for-3) RBI, BB, 2B
Patrick Kivlehan – (1-for-5) 2 R, 2 RBI, HR
Jose Quezada – 1 IP, 1 BB, 0 R, 0 H, 1 K
Following one of, if not the, most impressive showings for the El Paso Chihuahuas of the 2021 season, things did not quite go as well.
Starting pitcher Caleb Boushley followed in the footsteps of Luke Westphal, who threw a five-inning no-hitter on Saturday night and could not live up to Westphal’s performance.
After Tucupita Marcano hit his fifth home run in the first inning to put El Paso up 1-0, Boushley would follow with a rough outing that lost the early lead for the Chihuahuas. In all, he gave up five runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five.
The bullpen did not do much to stop the attack of Albuquerque, with relievers Jordan Guerrero and Parker Markel allowing two earned runs each in their one inning of work. After seven innings, Albuquerque held a 9-3 lead that the Chihuahuas would make close with a two-run eighth that cut the score to 9-5.
The final score would end up being 12-7, with a flurry of runs being scored at the end of the game, however to no avail for El Paso.
San Antonio Missions: (Lost 10-8 to Corpus Christi) (26-28 on the season)
Henry Henry – 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 Ks
Jose Azocar – (2-for-5) 2-R HR, 2 R
Jack Suwinski – (2-for-5) R, 2 RBI
Yorman Rodriguez – (2-for-4) RBI, BB, 2B
The Missions had a tough start to the game on Sunday night, with starting pitcher Mason Fox allowing fine runs in less than one inning and his relief pitcher Dylan Rheault allowing four runs in just two innings of work.
By the time the bottom of the third started, the Missions were down 9-0, looking like they were in for a long night.
San Antonio would climb back into the game, slowly coming within a run heading into the ninth. San Antonio scored three runs in the bottom of the third to cut the score to 9-3 and then added four in the bottom of the eighth, which put the score at 9-8 with an inning to go.
Unfortunately for San Antonio, they could not complete the big comeback and fell 10-8 to Corpus Christi.
Fort Wayne TinCaps: (Lost 7-5 to Great Lakes) (23-30 on the season)
Gabe Mosser – 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 Ks
Tirso Ornelas – (2-for-5) 2 R, RBI
Jonny Homza – (1-for-2) 3B, 2 R, 2 BB
Justin Lopez – (1-for-4) 2B, 2 RBI
The Fort Wayne TinCaps got off to a hot start on Sunday afternoon, looking as if their Fourth of July holiday would be a happy one.
An RBI single from Tirso Ornelas, followed by a two-run double by Justin Lopez, had things looking good for the TinCaps early on.
After a Seamus Curran RBI double in the bottom of the third, put Fort Wayne up 4-0, seemingly on the way to a big victory.
In the top of the fifth inning, everything changed for the TinCaps, with three straight pitchers allowing two earned runs in the span of two innings. By the time the top of the sixth inning was complete, Inland Empire had held a 6-4 lead, and the momentum for Lake Elsinore was erased.
Things never turned back around for the Storm, and they would end up losing 7-5, ending their minimal two-game winning streak.
Lake Elsinore Storm: (Lost 7-4 to Inland Empire) (26-28 on the season)
Jose Garcia – 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, K
Robert Hassell III – (1-for-3) 2B, 2 RBI, BB, R
Euribiel Angeles – (2-for-4) 2B, RBI
Matthew Acosta – (2-for-3) 2B, BB
Lake Elsinore was going for its third straight victory on Sunday’s July 4th matchup with Inland Empire, one night after coming back from a four-run deficit for a win.
With a chance to reach .500, the Storm got off to a tough start, falling behind early due to struggles by starting pitcher Connor Lehmann. Lehmann lasted only three innings, giving up five runs (four earned) and seven hits while walking three.
When Lehmann left the game after the top of the third, Inland Empire held a 5-0 lead. Lehmann’s replacement, Miguel Rondon, didn’t fare much better, allowing two runs the following inning, his only inning of work.
In the blink of an eye, going into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Storm chased a 7-0 lead.
A team of underdogs making a comeback on the 4th of July
Where have we heard that before? pic.twitter.com/KrHUzMYsHr
— Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball (@Storm_Baseball) July 4, 2021
The Storm would make things interesting late in the game, with RBI doubles by Robert Hassell and Euribiel Angeles cutting the score to 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth, followed by a Jordy Barley home run that made it 7-4.
The Storm would fail to tack on anymore, falling to Inland Empire by that same three-run deficit and failing to reach .500.
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Monday’s Probable Starters
El Paso– TBD
San Antonio– OFF
Fort Wayne– OFF
Lake Elsinore– OFF
Kevin is a San Diego Native covering the San Diego Padres and their affiliates