Brazos Valley wins 4-0 to take over first place in the TCL South

Tristan Stivors, Will Johnston and Zach Poe combined on a two-hitter Saturday night as the Brazos Valley Bombers beat the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio, 4-0, in Bryan.

With the victory, the Bombers (14-9) moved into first place in the South Division of the Texas Collegiate League. The Chanclas (13-9) fell into second after losing two straight in Bryan at Travis Field.

Stivors, a right-hander from Medina Valley High School and Texas State, set the tone with four innings of one-hit, scoreless pitching. He struck out seven.

In the fifth inning, the Bombers replaced Stivors with Johnston, a 6-foot-3, left-hander from Texas A&M. With a herky-jerky motion and a heavy fastball, he also pitched four scoreless, allowing no hits. He walked two and fanned five.

When Johnston walked two in the eighth, it broke a string of 20 straight Chanclas batters retired.

Poe issued a one-out walk to Anthony Forte and allowed an infield single to Jordan Thompson, giving the Chanclas hope for a comeback in their last at bat. But Ryan Flores popped out to center field for the second out.

On the last play, Forte was caught straying too far off second base. He was picked off to end it, giving Bombers pitching 17 straight scoreless innings over the last two games.

San Antonio and Brazos Valley will play once more in the regular season, on Sunday night in Bryan. Both have seven games left in the regular season.

In the TCL, the top two teams in both the North and South divisions reach the playoffs.

Behind Brazos Valley and San Antonio, Round Rock (13-10) and Acadiana (9-12) both remain in the postseason chase with a chance to finish second.

Acadiana beat Round Rock 3-0 on Friday night. But Round Rock rebounded to win 10-0 in the second game Saturday.

The series, being played in Acadiana’s home of Youngsville, La., will be completed on Sunday night.

Runs-hits-errors

San Antonio — 0 2 0
Brazos Valley — 4 11 0
Please click on the link for Saturday’s box score.

Records

San Antonio 13-9
Brazos Valley 14-9

Coming up

San Antonio at Brazos Valley, 7:05 p.m., Sunday, in Bryan.

Down the stretch

After a day off on Monday, the Chanclas return home Tuesday for the first of three games at Wolff Stadium against the Amarillo Sod Squad. They finish the regular season with three against Round Rock.

On Friday July 31, the Chanclas will play at Round Rock’s Dell Diamond. On Saturday, Aug. 1, it’s Round Rock at San Antonio. On Sunday Aug. 2, the teams will return to Round Rock for the regular-season finale.

Notable

The Chanclas have been kept off the scoreboard three times this season, all on the road. In their two previous shutout losses, they fell 1-0 on a two-hitter at Amarillo on July 1. They lost 5-0 on a no-hitter at Acadiana on July 8.

Chanclas starter Lance Lusk wasn’t sharp, but he did complete five innings. He gave up two runs, only one of them earned, on eight hits. He walked two and struck out none.

Bombers right fielder Sean Arnold had a big night. On defense, he had an assist in throwing out a runner at third base to end the first inning. On offense, he went 2 for 3, scored a run and knocked one in. In the fourth inning, he slapped a single that scored Austin Bost.

Manny Garcia continued to torment the Chanclas with two hits and two RBI. In the opener of the series Tuesday in San Antonio, he homered and doubled and drove in five runs. He’s also made three diving catches in the outfield.

With Saturday’s performance, Brazos Valley has now won three of the five games in the head-to-head series against San Antonio.

RBI machine: Chanclas’ Flores drives in three more in 4-3 victory

Ryan Flores doubled, had a sacrific flying and drove in three of the Flying Chanclas' four runs against the Brazos Valley Bombers on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Ryan Flores doubled, had a sacrific fly and drove in three of the Flying Chanclas’ four runs against the Brazos Valley Bombers on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander

Ryan Flores produced three RBI for a team-best 15 on the season Thursday night in pacing the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio to a 4-3 victory over the Brazos Valley Bombers.

A season-high crowd of 1,521 at Wolff Stadium watched as Chanclas starter Logan Garza pitched into the sixth inning to stifle the Bombers.

With the victory, the Chanclas (13-7) gained a game in the standings against the Bombers (12-9) in a duel for the South Division title in the Texas Collegiate League.

The teams will play another three games starting Friday night in Bryan, all at Travis Field. Both teams have nine to play in the regular season.

With the Bombers playing in San Antonio, the Chanclas made the best of it, winning two of three games this week.

The Flying Chanclas' Jordan Thompson slides into third with a fifth-inning triple against the Brazos Valley Bombers on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. Thompson also walked and scored twice. - photo by Joe Alexander

The Flying Chanclas’ Jordan Thompson slides into third with a fifth-inning triple against the Brazos Valley Bombers on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. Thompson also walked and scored twice. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Brazos Valley cruised 6-1 in the opener Tuesday night to take the lead in the South by a half a game, before San Antonio turned it on with a 15-2 victory Wednesday night.

On Thursday, the Chanclas jumped out to an early lead and then held off the Bombers at the end, improving to 9-3 in their last 12 games.

In the bottom of the first inning, Flores mashed a sacrifice fly ball to center to drive in Jordan Thompson to make it 1-0. In the top of the second, the Chanclas’ defense came up big with their second double play in two innings.

When they came to bat in the bottom half, they made it 2-0 with the help of the help of the Bombers, who committed two infield errors.

Flores drove in single runs in both the fifth and the seventh. In the seventh, he hammered an opposite field drive into the left field corner that scored Thompson and made it 4-1. He was out at third trying to turn it into a triple.

Garza pitched the first five innings and Johnny Panatex entered to take care of the next three.

Garza struck out eight and allowed the only run of the game in the sixth. Panatex was particularly effective, holding the Bombers scoreless on two hits while striking out four.

The Bombers made it interesting in the ninth, scoring twice and putting runners at first and second with two out against Garrett Egli.

Grayson Tatrow, who had two hits on the night, flared one to left that looked like it had a chance to drop for a hit. But Anthony Forte raced in to make the grab for the final out.

Flying Chanclas starting pitcher Logan Garza threw five innings, allowed one run and struck out eight batters to get the win against the Brazos Valley Bombers on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas starting pitcher Logan Garza threw five innings, allowed one run and struck out eight batters to get the win. – photo by Joe Alexander

Runs-hits-errors

Brazos Valley 3 11 2
San Antonio 4 8 1
Please click on the link for Thursday night’s box score.

Records

Brazos Valley 12-9
San Antonio 13-7

Flying Chanclas reliever Johnny Panatex pitched three scoreless innings and allowed two hits while striking out four against the Brazos Valley Bombers on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas reliever Johnny Panatex pitched three scoreless innings and allowed two hits while striking out four. – photo by Joe Alexander

Coming up

San Antonio at Brazos Valley, Friday at 7:05 p.m.

Notable

Flores and Thompson are both on batting tears. Flores, from Corpus Christi Carroll and the University of the Incarnate Word, is hitting .357 on a seven-game batting streak and .323 for the season … In the streak, he is 10 for 28 with seven RBI. He has driven in five runs in his last two games.

Thompson, meanwhile, is batting .538 in his last four games. In that stretch he is 7 for 13 with two doubles and a triple. The former standout at Boerne Champion High School has also scored seven runs. The burst has lifted Thompson’s batting average to .312 …

Flying Chanclas win 15-2 to regain first place in TCL South

Flying Chanclas starter Marcelo Perez pitched 4.0 scoreless innings on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks on Thursday against the Brazos Bend Bombers at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas starter Marcelo Perez pitched four scoreless innings in a 15-2 victory over Brazos Valley. Perez allowed three hits and struck out five. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Marcelo Perez pitched four scoreless innings, and Grant Smith enjoyed a three-hit, three-RBI night Wednesday as the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio rolled to a 15-2 victory over the Brazos Valley Bombers at Wolff Stadium.

With the win, the Chanclas avenged a 6-1 loss to the Bombers in the series opener Tuesday and moved back into first place in the South Division standings of the Texas Collegiate League.

The Chanclas (12-7) and the Bombers (12-8) will play again Thursday night at Wolff, before the teams move on to play three more starting Friday at Travis Field in Bryan.

Perez, from Laredo Alexander and TCU, was sharp from the beginning.

He kept throwing strikes to challenge the visitors, and the visitors kept making outs. Through the first three innings, Perez had a strike-ball ratio of 32-13. His teammates responded in the bottom half with three runs to take a 3-0 lead.

For his night’s work, Perez pitched four scoreless innings and allowed only three hits. He walked three but he also struck out five.

The Chanclas made up for a poor showing in Tuesday’s series opener by blowing away the Bombers in the middle innings.

After scoring three runs in the third, the Chanclas added one in the fourth, five in the fifth and one in the sixth for a 10-0 lead. Smith, from the University of the Incarnate Word, sparked the uprising in the fifth with a two-run single.

The Flying Chanclas' Grant Smith had three hits, three RBIs and scored three times on Thursday against the Brazos Valley Bombers at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Grant Smith had his second three-hit game in the last four outings. He also drove in three runs and scored three. -Photo by Joe Alexander

Runs-hit-errors

Brazos Valley — 2 5 2
San Antonio — 15 12 2
Please click on the link to find Wednesday’s box score.

Records

Brazos Valley 12-8
San Antonio 12-7

Coming up

Brazos Valley at San Antonio, 7:05 p.m. Thursday, at Wolff Stadium.

Notable

The Bombers hastened their own demise with wildness and walks. They issued nine bases on balls for the game.

Flying Chanclas left fielder Anthony Forte makes a diving catch on a fly ball that was knocked down by a strong breeze on Thursday against the Brazos Valley Bombers at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas left fielder Anthony Forte makes a diving catch on a fly ball that was knocked down by a strong breeze on Wednesday against the Brazos Valley Bombers at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander

Guajardo feeling good again about his baseball future

Flying Chanclas reliever Arturo Guajardo from UTSA and Laredo United High School pitching against the Victoria Generals on Saturday, July 18, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas reliever Arturo Guajardo, from Laredo United High School and UTSA, has rebounded from Tommy John surgery to become one of the best relievers in the Texas Collegiate League. – Photo by Joe Alexander

When pitcher Arturo Guajardo wakes up in the morning these days, he feels hope. He’s happy. The strikeouts leader for the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio feels optimistic about his baseball career for the first time in years.

It’s been a welcome change in mood for Guajardo, who has lived with equal parts pain and frustration over the past few years. He doesn’t feel like he has the game completely figured out. Not by a long shot.

He just feels like, after Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in 2018, he’s finally gaining traction again after two lost seasons.

“I think I’m throwing the ball pretty good,” said Guajardo, a 23-year-old from Laredo who attends UTSA. “I feel like I could definitely have better days. But at the end of the day, it’s baseball. You just have to find ways to compete and keep yourself in there.”

Flying Chanclas reliever Arturo Guajardo from UTSA and Laredo United High School pitching against the Victoria Generals on Saturday, July 18, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Pitching out of the bullpen, Arturo Guajardo has struck out 22 batters to lead the Flying Chanclas. His earned run average is a sparkling 0.69. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Heading into tonight’s home game against the Brazos Valley Bombers, Guajardo at least has established himself as a favorite of manager John McLaren, who calls his name out of the bullpen every other game or so.

“I tell you what, he loves getting the ball,” McLaren said. “The bigger the situation, he’s ready to go. He’s been very impressive. He’s the first one in the clubhouse every day. I get to the ball park (early), just a habit I’ve had during my whole career. He’s in there shortly thereafter.

“He dresses out, and then he goes and works in the weight room. He’s the first one in the clubhouse every day.”

Guajardo’s due diligence has paid off. In six appearances, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has employed a low- to mid-90s fastball to produce a sparkling earned-run-average of 0.69. In 13 innings, he has notched 22 strikeouts with only six walks.

Fans at Wolff Stadium have started to notice how he likes to challenge hitters with hard stuff high in the strike zone.

“Oh, yeah,” Guajardo said. “That’s my go-to (pitch). It looks fat to the hitters. The ball looks real nice and juicy to them. They can’t lay off of it. When they lay off it, I know those hitters are good. I say, all right. If they lay off of No. 1, I’m going to have to start trying some other stuff.”

When Guajardo’s story with the Chanclas is told, it will have a poignant ring for fans who have followed the fortunes of baseball in the Alamo City over the years. Not only is it the story of a young man who has overcome the hardship of a serious injury, but it’s also one that is wrapped around the legend of the late Will Brunson.

Flying Chanclas reliever Arturo Guajardo from UTSA and Laredo United High School pitching against the Victoria Generals on Saturday, July 18, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Arturo Guajardo is pitching this summer for the first time in two years. He had elbow surgery in October of 2018 during his first semester at UTSA. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Brunson, coming up through the minor leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization, helped the Missions win a Texas League championship in 1997.

A few years ago, as a scout working in Texas for the Philadelphia Phillies, Brunson tipped off local college coaches to Guajardo. Tragically, Brunson died last November of a heart attack while hiking at Big Bend National Park.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark, formerly of the University of the Incarnate Word, offered up the anecdote in a telephone interview with The JB Replay on Monday.

“We knew a little bit about (Arturo),” Hallmark said. “We recruited him (to UIW) when he was down at Laredo Junior College. So did coach (Jason) Marshall and the guys over at UTSA … (Arturo) was a shortstop. He was playing shortstop mostly at junior college, but he had a good arm. One of the local scouts told us about him. He said he’s an OK shortstop and that he liked him.”

The scout was Brunson.

“Will really liked him as a pitcher,” Hallmark said. “Will kind of saw the whole thing before anybody else did. Will liked him as a pitcher, and he told us that. So, we got on him. Coach Marshall (then the coach at UTSA) got on him. I don’t know (how) they were going to use him. But he ended up at UTSA. And (now) he’s throwing harder than he ever has, for sure.”

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, minor league professional baseball in America took a major hit this year. Camps were closed in March. The seasons were suspended, then canceled. With the Missions taking a major hit financially, they opted to field a team in the TCL to play some games and generate some revenue at Wolff.

In constructing a roster, they looked primarily at local college players.

One of those players just so happened to be Guajardo, who has seemingly come out of nowhere to dominate the TCL as a reliever – on the same field that Brunson played on more than 20 years ago.

Flying Chanclas reliever Arturo Guajardo from UTSA and Laredo United High School pitching against the Victoria Generals on Saturday, July 18, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Former Missions standout Will Brunson, working as a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies, alerted local college coaches about Guajardo’s development at Laredo Junior College.
— Photo by Joe Alexander

In light of the circumstances, Missions general manager Burl Yarbrough was asked in a text if he had a baseball angel working on his behalf this summer. “Great story!” Yarbrough replied. “Will was a good one!!!”

A few years ago, Guajardo was an unlikely candidate to play in any high-level collegiate summer league. In the spring of 2018, he was already starting to feel pain in his elbow at Laredo JC. Later that fall, in his first semester at UTSA, he ripped an ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow while throwing in a bullpen session.

“It was really tough,” he said. “I mean, I probably had a breakdown about every week, just not knowing what the future had (in store), or anything. I thought I was going to be cut. All this stuff. You’re thinking about all the negativity when you can’t do anything.

“The way I kept myself normal, I guess you would say, without going crazy, was just having faith and … honestly, just trusting the process because if you start putting your thoughts somewhere else, you’re done.

“That really tests your mental toughness. Because you’re out for a year, you don’t know what’s happening, you don’t know whether you’re going to come back the same. You don’t know if you’re still going to be hurt. Or if the surgery is going to be a success. It’s just like, I’m really glad I was able to get out of it.”

Guajardo sat out all of 2019 during rehabilitation. He started throwing off a mound in August of that year and then started throwing against hitters in October. But at the start of the 2020 college season in February, he still wasn’t quite ready.

So, he waited patiently for Hallmark to call his name. Finally, in March, he was told to get ready to pitch at home in a Conference USA-opening weekend series against Charlotte. Unfortunately for Guajardo, players were told later that day that the weekend series was called off because of the threat of the virus.

Pretty soon, the season was canceled, leaving Guajardo wondering what to do. He started planning, trying to figure out a way to extend his career. Luckily, the NCAA ruled that seniors in spring sports would get an extra year of eligibility. Meaning that, Guajardo could play for UTSA in 2021.

“It was a weight off my shoulders,” he said. “I just didn’t know what was going to happen. I mean, there is still weight on my shoulders. But not like that. With the injury, and with the Covid, I thought I was done. I thought my career was done.”

With the extra season, Guajardo was suddenly eligible to play in collegiate summer leagues. Gradually, he has built a reputation as one of the TCL’s best arms out of the bullpen. Hallmark said he has been told that Guajardo has thrown as hard as 97 mph.

Flying Chanclas manager John McLaren discusses a call with the home play umpire late in the game Sunday night at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas manager John McLaren describes Arturo Guajardo as one of his “go-to” pitchers out of the bullpen. – Photo by Joe Alexander

McLaren doesn’t think he’s throwing quite that hard. But he’s throwing hard enough to suit the former manager of the Seattle Mariners.

“I think he’s been in the 90s,” McLaren said. “ I don’t think he’s been up to 97. I haven’t got the (reports on the) scouts’ guns, but I was thinking he was throwing low 90s for sure, which is good. He’s been throwing strikes. That’s the main thing. No, he’s been a great addition for us. He’s done a really nice job.”

Guajardo said players on the Chanclas aren’t paying attention to their own statistics. But they do know that they’re winning — they’ve won seven of nine entering the Brazos Valley Series — and that they’re in a fight for the TCL South Division title.

“I think we’re just having fun,” he said. “That’s what it feels like. Everyone’s just having fun.”

Chanclas shrug off adversity and start a roll into first place

Flying Chanclas de San Antonio manager John McLaren. - photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas manager John McLaren. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Flying Chanclas de San Antonio didn’t react well initially to the loss of standouts Porter Brown and Conner Shepherd.

Two weeks ago, just six games into a 30-game schedule, they learned that they’d need to move on without Brown and Shepherd, both sidelined with finger injuries.

In their first game without the pair on July 8, they were humbled, losing 5-0 in Louisiana on a no-hitter pitched by the Acadiana Cane Cutters. In their second game, the next night, it wasn’t much better. They lost 3-1 at Acadiana.

Since then, though, the Chanclas have retooled the roster with a few additions. They’ve moved some players around in the batting order and in the field. And, slowly, they’ve started to get it rolling in the right direction.

The Chanclas, as a result, have won seven of their last nine leading into a key Texas Collegiate League series against the Brazos Valley Bombers.

First pitch on Tuesday is set for 7:05 p.m. at Wolff Stadium between the Chanclas, who lead the TCL’s South Division at 11-6, and the second-place Bombers, 9-6.

“That’s one thing about the game of baseball,” Chanclas manager John McLaren said. “You have an injury and someone else gets an opportunity. That’s what it’s been about. Some guys have stepped up. They’ve pulled together. We’ve developed some nice chemistry.

“We play well together,” he continued. “We play hard. We don’t give up. We’ve been in every game. It’s just a tribute to the type of people we have. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been challenging, of course. But that’s what makes the game so interesting.”

Brown, the Chanclas’ leading hitter, was ruled out for the season immediately after an x-ray showed a fracture in the little finger on his right hand. Shepherd was thought to be lost for between seven and 10 days.

But McLaren said Monday that Shepherd, too, is also lost for the rest of the summer. Regardless, the Chanclas will forge ahead into the last few weeks of the regular season knowing that they have developed a solid ball club with the following characteristics:

Quality on the mound

The Chanclas lead the TCL with a 2.81 earned run average. Right-hander Lance Lusk from Sam Houston State (2-0, 2.34) leads the starting staff. The bullpen has been a strength with Arturo Guajardo from UTSA, Tyler Flores from Clark High School and Texas A&M-Kingsville and Connor Schmidt from Devine and St. Mary’s University.

Toughness at home

Wolff Stadium has been a nightmare for visiting teams. The Chanclas just seem to click when they’re playing under the lights at I-90 and Callaghan Road. They opened the season with five straight home wins before taking two of three last weekend against the Victoria Generals.

Grant Smith ends it with a walk-off hit with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning in the Flying Chanclas' 7-6 victory over the Victoria Generals on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Grant Smith produced a standout defensive play and a game-winning hit Saturday night against Victoria. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Versatility

Shepherd, from TCU, was a good defensive player. But recently, Grant Smith from Incarnate Word has taken over at the hot corner. Starting out the season as a middle infielder, he moved over and has seamlessly evolved into a player that McLaren trusts to make the tough plays. He snared a ground ball, spun and threw out a runner at home plate in the top of the 10th on Saturday. Smith won the game in the 11th with an RBI single.

Resilience

Brown was a player that McLaren was extremely high on. Making up for his loss has been an all-hands-on-deck effort. Newcomer Anthony Forte from the University of Richmond is a solid contributor in left field, where Brown played. Jordan Thompson has stepped in to Brown’s top spot in the batting order. Both outfielders are playing well. Also, center fielder Kyte McDonald, from Antonian and Mississippi State, has rebounded from a slow start to hit .346 in his last seven games.

Star potential

Shortstop Jalen Battles, from Madison High School and Arkansas (by commitment), may have the most promising future in baseball on the squad. He has flashed quickness, agility and a good throwing arm. On offense, he started slowly but has come around lately, stroking hits in tight situations late in games recently. Battles looks like he is getting more and more comfortable at the plate, which is not good news for the rest of the TCL.

Thompson, McDonald lead the Chanclas to a 5-3 victory

Kyte McDonald singles in the bottom of the fourth inning to drive in the Flying Chanclas' first run of the game against the Victoria Generals on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Kyte McDonald singles in the bottom of the fourth inning to drive in the Flying Chanclas’ first run of the game against the Victoria Generals on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander

The Flying Chanclas de San Antonio don’t always play with precision. But they do play with heart on most nights. They did it again Sunday, rallying from an early deficit and then hanging on late to claim a 5-3 victory over the Victoria Generals at Wolff Stadium.

In the finale of six straight games between the teams, the Generals led by one run when the Chanclas exploded for four in the bottom of the fifth to take charge, 5-2. Jordan Thompson ripped a two-run double and Kyte McDonald had an RBI single in the outburst.

Flying Chanclas starter Lance Lusk from Sam Houston State pitched 6.0 innings and allowed two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks against the Victoria Generals on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas starter Lance Lusk, from Sam Houston State, earned the victory by pitching six innings and allowing two runs. He lowered his earned run average to 2.35. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The win allowed the Chanclas to take the series with the Generals, 4-2. It also lifted them into first place in the Texas Collegiate League South Division with an 11-6 record. San Antonio won two of three in Victoria and two of three in San Antonio.

It was the second straight night that the Chanclas climbed out of a deficit on the scoreboard to win, though it wasn’t quite as dramatic as Saturday night’s 7-6 victory in 11 innings. On Saturday, the Chanclas trailed by 5-1 early and by 5-2 going into the bottom of the ninth.

On Sunday, Thompson and McDonald took matters into their own hands. Thompson, batting leadoff, went 2 for 4 and had 2 RBI. Batting fifth, McDonald enjoyed a 3-for-4 performance. He also had two RBI. It was McDonald’s second 3-hit game of the week.

Lance Lusk pitched six innings for the Chanclas, the longest outing by a starter for the team this season. He allowed two runs on five hits. Jaime Ramirez Jr. and Connor Schmidt finished the game.

With the bases loaded in the ninth, Schmidt got Steve Bonuz on a fly ball to left field to end the game.

Flying Chanclas right fielder Jordan Thompson races toward the warning track to catch a fly ball against the Victoria Generals on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas right fielder Jordan Thompson races toward the warning track to catch a fly ball Sunday night. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Runs-hits-errors

Victoria — 3-7-0
San Antonio — 5-9-0
Please click on the link for Sunday’s box score.

Records

Victoria 7-11
San Antonio 11-6

Coming up

The Chanclas have a day off on Monday before they open a series with the Brazos Valley Bombers Tuesday night at Wolff. Brazos Valley is second in the TCL South at 9-6. Acadiana won at home, defeating Brazos Valley 5-1 Sunday night.

Notable

Kyte McDonald hit for a .346 average against the Generals. In six games, he went 9 for 26, including a double, a triple and a home run. McDonald also produced five RBI and scored six runs.

Flying Chanclas catcher Tyler LaRue throws to first on a bunt against the Victoria Generals on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas catcher Tyler LaRue throws to first on a bunt against the Victoria Generals on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander

Dramatic victory: Chanclas down Generals 7-6 in 11 innings

Grant Smith (left) and Johnny Hernandez celebrate after Smith's hit drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning in the Flying Chanclas' 7-6 victory over the Victoria Generals on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Grant Smith (left) and Johnny Hernandez celebrate after Smith’s infield single drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Flying Chanclas de San Antonio third baseman Grant Smith has executed several gold-star defensive plays over the last few nights during a grind-it-out series against the Victoria Generals.

On Saturday night, he produced three hits and three RBI, including a game-deciding, run-scoring infield single in the bottom of the 11th, as the Chanclas rallied past the Generals, 7-6, at Wolff Stadium.

Grant Smith ends it with a walk-off hit with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning in the Flying Chanclas' 7-6 victory over the Victoria Generals on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Grant Smith ends it with a walk-off hit in the 11th inning against Victoria. Smith, from the University of the Incarnate Word, had three hits and three RBI. – Photo by Joe Alexander

It was the third straight extra-innings game between the Chanclas and the Generals in the last three nights. The Generals had won the last two, and they had a chance to make it three straight when scored four runs in the top of the third inning for a 5-1 lead.

After the Chanclas rallied to tie it 5-5 after the regulation nine innings, the Generals broke through with a run in the top of the 11th to make it 6-5.

In the bottom half, the Chanclas, by rule, started with a runner at second base. All teams in the Texas Collegiate League start extra innings with a runner on second, mirroring a rule installed in minor league baseball a few years ago.

The Chanclas had been unsuccessful in capitalizing on the opportunity the past few nights. But, they finally broke through in the bottom of the 11th against the Generals. With Ryan Flores opening at second base, he came around to score to tie it 6-6 when Tyler LaRue led off with an RBI single.

After the Chanclas loaded the bases, Smith stepped up to face Victoria left-hander Dylan Turner.

Smith hit a sharp grounder up the middle. The ball was knocked down by Generals shortstop Jonathan Tapia. But Tapia couldn’t control it to make a force play at second, allowing Kyte McDonald to race home from third with the winning run.

With the victory, the Chanclas improved to 3-2 in a hotly-contested series against the Generals. In Victoria, the Chanclas won the first two and lost the finale. In San Antonio, they dropped the opener at home, before they pulled out the second game in dramatic fashion.

The series finale is Sunday night at Wolff.

The Generals won 8-7 in 11 innings on Thursday night at Riverside Stadium in Victoria. As the series shifted to San Antonio on Friday, the Generals won again, claiming a 4-3 victory in 10 innings.

Runs-hits-errors

Victoria — 6 8 2
San Antonio — 7 12 2
(11 innings)

Please click on the link for Saturday’s official box score.

Records

Victoria 7-10
San Antonio 10-6

Coming up

Victoria at San Antonio, 7:05 p.m. Sunday, at Wolff Stadium.

Notable

The Brazos Valley Bombers (9-5) and the Chanclas (10-6) are in a virtual tie for first in the TCL South division, with the Bombers holding an edge by percentage points. After a league-wide day off on Monday, the Bombers and Chanclas will open a three-game series Tuesday night at Wolff Stadium.

Kyte McDonald jumps on home plate to score the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning in the Flying Chanclas' 7-6 victory over the Victoria Generals on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Kyte McDonald jumps on home plate to score the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning in the Flying Chanclas’ 7-6 victory over the Victoria Generals on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander

Generals edge Chanclas by one run in extra innings — again

Victoria Generals relief pitcher Jose Torres from Our Lady of the Lake pitched the final three innings and got the win against the Flying Chanclas on Friday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Victoria Generals relief pitcher Jose Diaz from Our Lady of the Lake University pitched the final three innings and got the win against the Flying Chanclas on Friday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander

For the second straight night, the Victoria Generals defeated the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio by one run in extra innings.

They downed the Chanclas 4-3 in 10 innings on Friday night at Wolff Stadium, with Steven Bonuz and relief pitcher Jose Diaz producing in the clutch for the Generals.

Batting against Chanclas relief ace Tyler Flores, Bonuz delivered a one-out, RBI single to put the Generals in front in the top of the 10th.

In the bottom half, Diaz completed three innings of scoreless relief in dramatic fashion.

After he threw a wild pitch that allowed the potential tying run to reach third base, Diaz got Lee Thomas on a pop up to end the game.

It was the fourth game in four nights between the two teams. Opening a three-game set at Victoria, the Chanclas won the first two to extend a season-high winning streak to five.

But on Thursday night at Victoria’s Riverside Stadium, the Generals scored three runs in their last at-bat for an 8-7 victory in 11 innings.

On Friday, with the series shifting to San Antonio, the Chanclas jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, then gave up one in the third and two in the fifth to fall behind.

The Chanclas scored twice in the eighth to tie it, 3-3, but couldn’t sustain the momentum.

Runs-hits-errors

Victoria — 4 5 0
San Antonio — 3 7 1
(10 innings)

Please click on the link for Friday night’s box score.

Records

Victoria 7-9
San Antonio 9-6

Coming up

Victoria at San Antonio, Saturday and Sunday. Both games, 7:05 p.m., at Wolff Stadium.

Notable

Diaz is from Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Two other local college ball players from San Antonio — Jonathan Tapia and Hobbs Price — also aided in the Generals’ victory.

Tapia, from O’Connor High School and UTSA, executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move up a runner to third base in the 10th inning. The run eventually scored on a single by Bonuz for the game-winner.

Price, also from UTSA, made a running catch on a drive into the right field corner that likely saved two runs. His play, on a ball hit hard by Chanclas newcomer Anthony Forte, ended the fifth inning.

Victoria Generals center fielder Jonathan Tapia (left) and right fielder Hobbs Price are both from UTSA. - photo by Joe Alexander

Victoria Generals center fielder Jonathan Tapia (left) and right fielder Hobbs Price are both from UTSA. Tapia produced the game-winning hit in the Generals’ victory Thursday in Victoria – photo by Joe Alexander

Generals rally to knock off the Flying Chanclas, 8-7, in 11

Jonathan Tapia slapped a game-winning, RBI single Thursday night as the Victoria Generals rallied to defeat the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio, 8-7, in 11 innings.

Tapia is from O’Connor High School and UTSA.

In the game played at Victoria’s Riverside Stadium, the Generals trailed 5-2 in the middle inning and 7-5 after the top of the 11th.

But they did not quit, rallying with three runs in the bottom half to snap the Chanclas’ five-game winning streak.

Runs-hits-errors

San Antonio — 7 13 1
Victoria — 8 12 2
(11 innings)

Please click on the link for Thursday’s box score.

Records

San Antonio 9-5
Victoria 6-9

Coming up

Victoria at San Antonio, Friday through Sunday. All games at 7:05 p.m., at Wolff Stadium.

Flying Chanclas rally to post their fifth straight victory

Jordan Thompson’s leadoff homer sparked a five-run seventh inning Wednesday night as the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio rallied for a 6-2 victory over the Victoria Generals in the Texas Collegiate League.

Flying Chanclas manager John McLaren discusses a call with the home play umpire late in the game Sunday night at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

The Flying Chanclas have won five in a row overall and three in a row on the road for manager John McLaren. – File photo by Joe Alexander

It was the fifth win in a row for the Chanclas, who lead the TCL South division with a 9-4 record.

Trailing 2-0 after four innings, the Chanclas scored once in the sixth inning to get back into the game. In the seventh, they exploded against the Generals’ bullpen for five runs on six hits.

At one point, they scored on three consecutive at bats to silence the home crowd at Victoria’s Riverside Park. Tyler LaRue ripped an RBI single, and then Johnny Hernandez and Anthony Forte followed with back-to-back RBI doubles.

Forte, in his Flying Chanclas debut, finished with three hits, a run scored and an RBI.

Starting pitcher Austin Krob earned the victory, but the bullpen had a major say in the outcome with 5 and 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Reliever Johnny Panatex highlighted the effort with 2 and 2/3 innings of work and four strikeouts.

A big moment for Panatex came when he entered in the fourth inning with one out, the bases loaded and the Chanclas trailing 2-0. He escaped the jam when he struck out Jose Diaz and Josh Elvir.

Runs-hits-errors

San Antonio 6 – 13 – 1
Victoria 2 – 9 – 0
Please click on the link for Wednesday’s official box score.

Records

San Antonio 9-4
Victoria 5-9

Coming up

San Antonio at Victoria, 7:05 p.m., Thursday. Victoria at San Antonio, Friday through Sunday, at Wolff Stadium. All at 7:05 p.m.

Notable

Forte, from the University of Richmond, started in right field He joined the team Tuesday, a spokesman said.