Credit: EVT Sports (Farm Report)
Padres minor league affiliates finished their opening weekend going 1-0 in regular season play, while also going 1-0 in exhibition play.
Here is our daily recap of games played.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 5-4 in 11 innings vs Sacramento) (1-2 on the season)
Pablo Reyes – 1-for-4, Double, Run Scored
Nick Solak – 1-for-1, RBI Single, Walk
Marco Gonzales – 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K (75 pitches – 47 strikes)
The Chihuahuas rallied from an early 3-1 deficit in the middle innings, but ultimately fell in yet another extra-inning affair. El Paso starter Marco Gonzales pitched five innings, allowing three runs on six hits. The veteran left-hander labored in the first inning, facing seven batters and allowing two runs. Despite this, Gonzales found his footing as the game went on, allowing only one run in his final four innings of work. Evan Fitterer made his Pacific Coast League debut with two innings of relief, striking out three. Fitterer is opening the season in relief, but the Chihuahuas have floated the idea of him starting games as the season goes on, per broadcaster Tim Hagerty.
We are on the board, courtesy of a Buddy Kennedy double ‼️ pic.twitter.com/NmNEeJeHU9
— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) March 29, 2026
Garrett Hawkins made his El Paso debut with a scoreless eighth inning. While the altitude in Sacramento is not as high as that of El Paso, Hawkins’ four-seam fastball averaged 19.8 inches of induced vertical break, which provides a good baseline for evaluation.
Garrett Hawkins made his season debut for El Paso, striking out one in a scoreless inning.
His insane iVB has carried over to the PCL!@EVT_News pic.twitter.com/LiMuTGyVLt
— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) March 30, 2026
The Chihuahuas were held hitless through the first four innings before scratching a run across in the fifth. Rodolfo Duran was hit by a pitch and Carlos Rodriguez singled. Both runners were aggressive, moving to second and third on Rodriguez’s single before a Marcos Castanon grounder at 98.4 mph scored Duran. The sixth inning saw the Chihuahuas tie the game. Nick Schnell walked against left-hander Nick Zwack, and Pablo Reyes doubled down the line to put the tying run on second base. Zwack struck out Sung-Mun Song, but Jose Miranda lined a middle-middle slider to center field, scoring Schnell. Pete Zamora sent Nick Solak to the plate to face the left-hander, and Zamora’s gamble came up lucky. Solak lined a single to right-center field, scoring Reyes and tying the game at three. While River Cats reliever Marques Johnson got out of the inning without further damage, El Paso got to him in the seventh. Two walks, a sacrifice bunt, and two wild pitches got Marcos Castanon and Nick Schnell to third and second, respectively. Pablo Reyes flew out to shallow right field for out number two, but the third wild pitch of the inning scored Castanon to give El Paso a lead.
After Garrett Hawkins held the lead, Omar Cruz came on to make his first appearance of the season. He retired Thomas Gavello on a curveball for his first strikeout of the season, but three straight singles tied the game, with Bryce Eldridge’s seeing-eye ground-ball single chasing Cruz from the game. Ethan Routzahn entered, retiring Buddy Kennedy and Jose Bericoto to end the threat. Both teams went quietly in the tenth inning, and Braxton Roxby held the Chihuahuas at bay in the eleventh. Routzahn returned to the mound in the eleventh, but after an intentional walk and sacrifice bunt, Jesus Rodriguez hit a shallow fly ball to center field. Jase Bowen made the catch in center, but the throw home was not in time to get the speedy Tyler Fitzgerald, and the River Cats earned their second straight walk-off win.
San Antonio Missions – Won 7-5 vs Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (3-0 in exhibition play)
The Missions concluded their three-game exhibition set with a series win over Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos. Jagger Haynes earned the start for the Missions, and the rotation currently lines up for a Miguel Mendez-Jagger Haynes tandem to open the regular season on April 2 at Tulsa.
Today’s starting lineup for the Flying Chanclas! ?
?First Pitch: 12:05 PM
?️: https://t.co/7CidNyi7fh pic.twitter.com/oEyFunfUFJ
— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) March 29, 2026
Fort Wayne TinCaps & Lake Elsinore Storm – No Games
While neither the Storm or TinCaps played a game, the final roster reveal happened. The Lake Elsinore Storm announced their season-opening roster on Sunday. Left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft, the Padres’ No. 2 prospect, headlines the pitching staff. The team’s staff also includes Padres No. 22 prospect Bryan Balzer, as well as a few surprise additions. Sean Barnett has been assigned to the Storm, where it appears he will be focused on pitching. Also joining him on the position-player-convert track is former first baseman Ethan Long, who will be making the switch to pitching after three seasons in the system as a first baseman. On the position-player side, Padres No. 5 prospect Kale Fountain is among five position players on the Top 32 to make the Storm’s season-opening roster.
?️Storm INCOMING?️
The Lake Elsinore Storm’s Break Camp Roster includes SEVEN (7!) Padres prospects who made our pre-season Top 32 prospects over at @EVT_News
LHP Kruz Schoolcraft (No. 2) headlines the names on the mound, while Kale Fountain (No. 5) leads the position players! https://t.co/o8jC8d8ITd
— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) March 30, 2026
A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.
A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.
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