Mears Leaves the Yard in Saturday Night Defeat 

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Missions continued their six-game series with the Springfield Cardinals Saturday night. Both clubs were held scoreless until the fifth inning when Springfield plated three runs. Joshua Mears homered for the second straight night to cut the deficit to 3-2. Matt Svanson converted his 27th save for the Cardinals.

Ryan Bergert was the starting pitcher for the Missions. The right-hander allowed two hits in the top of the first inning. With one man down, Nathan Church singled to center field. Bergert struck out the next batter for the second out. RJ Yeager kept the inning alive with a base hit to left field. Chase Davis flew out to left field ending the inning.

Trent Baker was the starting pitcher for the Cardinals. The former Angelo State Rams pitcher stranded a runner in scoring position in the first inning. After retiring the first batter, Marcos Castanon doubled to left field. Baker struck out the next two batters to end the frame.

San Antonio put another runner in scoring position in the third inning. Baker retired the leadoff batter before hitting Kai Murphy with an inside pitch. Ripken Reyes grounded out, and Murphy advanced 90 feet. Castanon lined out to left field to end the inning.

Springfield gained the lead with three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Dakota Harris began the frame with a double. After retiring the next batter, Bryan Torres singled to right field. Church reached base on a fielder’s choice with Harris scoring from third base. Jimmy Crooks drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Yeager drove in Church with a base hit to right field. The Missions trailed 3-0.

Baker was nearly untouchable on Saturday night. The Georgetown, Texas native allowed one hit across five scoreless innings while striking out nine batters. Nathanael Heredia took over for Springfield in the sixth inning.

The Missions ended the shutout with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Facing Jack Ralston, Cole Cummings singled to right field. The right-hander struck out the next batter. Joshua Mears hit a towering fly ball to left-center field for a two-run home run. His sixth long ball of the season cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Missions threatened to score in the bottom of the eighth inning. Castanon drew a one-out walk. Ralston struck out the next batter before handing the ball off to Matt Svanson. Cummings singled to left field and Castanon advanced to third base. Juan Zabala grounded out to end the scoring threat.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Svanson returned to the mound for Springfield. Mears began the frame with an infield single. Anthony Vilar grounded into a double play. Lucas Dunn struck out swinging to end the game.

Post-Game Notes

• Final Score: 3-2

• With the loss, San Antonio falls to 30-37, 61-74 on the season

• Attendance: 5,744

• Ryan Bergert (Missions starter): L, 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 K

• Trent Baker (Cardinals starter): W, 5.0 IP, H, 9 K

Prospect Recap

• Bradgley Rodriguez (#11 Padres prospect): DNP

• Romeo Sanabria (#24 Padres prospect): 0-4, 4 K

• Ryan Bergert (#26 Padres prospect): L, 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 K

• David Morgan (#30 Padres prospect): DNP

• Jimmy Crooks (#5 Cardinals prospect): 0-3, RBI, 3 K

• Chase Davis (#7 Cardinals prospect): 1-4, K

• Leonardo Bernal (#9 Cardinals prospect): Defensive sub in 9th inning

The San Antonio Missions conclude their six-game series with the Springfield Cardinals on Sunday, September 15th. Left-hander Daniel Camarena (0-2, 4.09) is scheduled to pitch for the Missions. Right-hander Wilfredo Pereira (5-2, 6.36) is scheduled to pitch for the Cardinals. Sunday’s first pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m. from Nelson Wolff Stadium.

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The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The 2024 season will be the 122nd professional season for the San Antonio Missions. Season seat memberships, as well as group tickets, for the 2024 season are available now. Single-game tickets are on sale now. Call 210-675-PARK to discuss pricing for season tickets, group tickets and hospitality. The 2025 schedule has been released! Call now to discuss season ticket prices for next season. The Missions Box Office is cashless, and fans can purchase tickets using credit cards. For more information, call 210-675-PARK (7275) or visit samissions.com.