The Slugging San Antonios Take Game 1

Justin Dirden went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run Tuesday night at Whataburger Field. (Marcus Sarate)

May 3, 2022

CORPUS CHRISTI – The Missions mustered five home runs, including two by lead-off hitter Esteury Ruiz, in a 9-7 victory over the Hooks Tuesday night at Whataburger Field. Corpus Christi boasted leads of 3-2 after two innings and 6-4 after four in the back-and-forth affair. The Hooks also leveled the

CORPUS CHRISTI – The Missions mustered five home runs, including two by lead-off hitter Esteury Ruiz, in a 9-7 victory over the Hooks Tuesday night at Whataburger Field.

Corpus Christi boasted leads of 3-2 after two innings and 6-4 after four in the back-and-forth affair. The Hooks also leveled the score at 7 in the sixth on a two-out, opposite-field shot by Enmanuel Valdez, his third dinger in a span of seven games.

The Missions pulled ahead for good in the eighth on solo home runs by Connor Hollis and Ruiz. The first three SA blasts, including swings by Yorman Rodriguez and Chandler Seagle, were two-run shots.

The Hooks managed three runs in the second against Dwayne Matos on an RBI double by Justin Dirden and a two-run homer off the bat of Ross Adolph.

Dirden went deep in the fourth as part of a three-run frame, with the Hooks turning in two additional markers on five San Antonio walks.

Missions relievers Kevin Kopps, Carlos Belen and Angel Felipe blanked CC over the last three innings.

The Hooks aim to stop a two-game slide with Tyler Brown on the hill. San Antonio is set to start Matt Waldron. First pitch 6:35.