Tirso Ornelas’ seventh-inning grand slam triggered a late-game awaking as Triple-A El Paso beat host Sugar Land 13-2 on Wednesday.
Ornelas’ blast was his 10th of the season. He is hitting .287/.376/.453 through 78 games in the Pacific Coast League.
Catcher Rodolfo Duran (.884 OPS) and shortstop Francisco Acuña (1.290 OPS) both added homers in the ninth inning. Duran’s blast was his 16th. Acuña hit his second homer and doubled while driving in two runs on four hits.
First baseman Nate Mondou (.823 OPS) went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.
Right fielder Yonathan Perlaza (.906 OPS) drove in two runs on three hits.
Right-hander Victor Lizarraga (1.80 ERA) walked three and allowed two runs — one earned — on five hits in five innings in the start.
Left-hander Jake Higginbotham (2-2, 8.75 ERA) and right-handers Alek Jacob (5.47 ERA) and Francis Pena (4.62 ERA) all recorded at least three outs without giving up a run.
El Paso is 79-66.
High Single-A All-Stars
Right-handers Miguel Mendez and Garrett Hawkins finished the year at Double-A San Antonio, but their stays at high Single-A Fort Wayne were good enough to be named postseason Midwest League All-Stars.
Mendez, 23, went 7-3 with a 1.32 ERA, 70 strikeouts and a 1.01 WHIP in 12 starts at Fort Wayne. He began the year with three starts at low Single-A Lake Elsinore (3.97 ERA) and went 0-4 with an 8.06 ERA in six starts at San Antonio to end the season.
Mendez is ranked No. 5 in the Padres system by MLB.com.
In his first year back from Tommy John surgery, Hawkins went 8-1 with a 1.43 ERA, 60 strikeouts and an 0.68 WHIP in 44 innings out of the TinCaps’ bullpen.
He went 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA, 20 strikeouts and a 1.31 WHIP in 16 innings to end the year at San Antonio.
Hawkins, 25, is ranked No. 18 in the Padres system.