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Tough Luck Loss for Tigers, Rodriguez as San Antonio Walks Off With Win

The San Antonio Missions kept pace in the D4 West with a dramatic walk-off victory, squandering a strong start from Cincy ace Willie Rodriguez. Ron Golden, San Antonio’s key offensive piece in 2037, homered twice including the ninth-inning walkoff, giving the Missions hope that he is regaining his form after a tough start to the season.

It started as a classic pitcher’s duel, as Cincinnati ace Willie Rodriguez went up against hometown hero Joe Brooks. Brooks, from nearby New Braunfels, TX, was originally drafted by the Cats but had limited success there, then floated around for a few years before being put on waivers by Milwaukee after the 2033 season. He was claimed by the Missions, for whom he’d grown up rooting, and once in San Antonio he became a fan favorite as a reliable rotation arm.

Brooks opened the game with three straight Ks, to the roars of an appreciative crowd, and faced the minimum again in the second with a strikeout, a walk, and a double play. Rodriguez, meanwhile, had largely handled San Antonio’s lineup, pitching around a single in the first then making quick work of the Missions with a K and two first pitch fly-outs.

Both pitchers ran into trouble in the third: Tigers 2B Edwin Martinez reached when CF Doug Boten lost a ball in the sunset, giving Martinez second. A Tony de Jesus single brought him home with the game’s first run, though Brooks shook it off to get three quick outs and strand the runner.

Rodriguez, now pitching with a narrow lead, allowed a first pitch single to 2B Jesus Rivas, then struck out Boten. Ray Bostick, though, floated a ball into shallow center that fell in, putting runners on first and second for Justin Gulden. Gulden, who came into the game hitting .297, singled sharply over SS Jim Horwood’s head to plate Rivas and tie it up.

Brooks got out of a jam in the 4th after a single, a wild pitch, and a groundout put a runner on third with one out, but a strikeout and groundout ended it, bringing the Missions to the plate. On the fifth pitch of the inning, Ron Golden connected, driving a ball deep to right center, clearing the fence by a wide margin and landing a few rows back to put San Antonio ahead. Golden, who came into the game hitting just .191 with a .270 SLG and two homers, looked relieved as he circled the bases.

That shot would be the last San Antonio would get against Rodriguez for some time to come. The Cincy ace struck out two to end the inning, then struck out two more in the 5th, and the 6th, and the seventh - fourteen strikeouts heading into the eighth.

To make matters worse, Brooks had to come out of the game in the sixth, after a stumble on the mound following a one out RBI double that tied the game. Still, it brought Brooks out, and got into San Antonio’s bullpen in the middle of a dangerous situation.

RP Justin Hensen, however, was up to the challenge, getting two quick groundouts to short to end the threat. Hensen set the Tigers down in order on two Ks and a groundout in the 7th. A long eighth - 24 pitches for four batters - resulted in just a single and man left on for Cincinnati, giving the San Antonio RP two and two thirds scoreless.

In the 8th, against Rodriguez, the Missions got something going when Ray Bostick doubled to chase the ace. Two batters later, RF Morgan Teeple singled into shallow left. Hoping to advance the lead, the 3B coach sent Ray Bostick; it was the wrong call, as the slow Bostick was cut down with room to spare, ending the inning.

Hensen’s long eighth gave way to a quick ninth, with the Tigers going down on six pitches, with a fly out and two groundouts. That sent the game into the bottom of the ninth, as Kazuaki Nomura took the mound. He got Matthew Smith to ground to short, bringing up Ron Golden. The Missions 1B took the first pitch, but liked the second. He swung, and put one in the air down the short right field line at River Walk Park. It carried, and just cleared the wall for a walk-off homer, sending the Missions and their fans into a wild celebration as the Tigers left the field.