Four unanswered runs in the fifth inning allowed the San Antonio Missions to cruise past the Wichita Wind Surge in a 5-4 ballgame Friday night in Nelson W. Wolff Stadium. 

Right fielder Ripkin Reyes led the way for the Missions, going 4-4 along with two runs and an RBI. 

“It’s good to help the team win,” Reyes said when asked about his play. “These guys are a gritty group of guys, they know how to win, they know how to compete.”

Though Friday night’s comeback was undoubtedly a team effort, Reyes made sure to leave his mark on the game. Down 3-1 at the bottom of the fifth inning, Reyes managed to drive in a run as well as score a run himself in a crucial effort to take back the lead. 

After being down at the start of the inning, the San Antonio club found themselves clawing their way back to lead 5-3 by the end of the fifth. Ripken’s heroics proved to be both essential and necessary in the Mission’s Friday night comeback. 

While Ripken was certainly the hero of Friday night’s game, starting pitcher Jackson Wolf found himself to be saving the day in the Mission’s Wednesday night competition against the Wind Surge. 

“I just had to keep it rolling from my past few starts,” claimed Wolf after the game. “I just wanted to make sure we got off to a good start.”

Throwing a six-inning shutout, the left-handed pitcher singlehandedly led the way for a Missions landslide victory. Racking up seven strikeouts and only allowing for two hits in the sixth inning, Wolf managed to secure Wednesday night’s win for both himself and the team. 

Though the Mission’s Thursday night loss was certainly not pretty, it has done little to affect the club’s overall confidence over the past couple of games. Winning their 30th game Friday night, the Missions now sit atop the Texas League South. While it is certainly an achievement, the team still feels as though they have a lot left to prove. 

When asked about the rankings Reyes said, “Every single day there’s something to prove. We’re hoping to contribute to all levels of the game.” 

Although happy to be ranked the number one team in the conference, many Missions players share this same mentality.

“It’s one thing to get there, it’s another thing to stay there,” Wolf added when asked about his feelings towards the rankings. It is safe to say that the players still believe they have a lot left to prove as their season progresses. 

The Missions will face off against the Amarillo Sod Poodles at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday at Hodgetown.