The Padres Beat the Chihuahuas 8-6 in a Classic Exhibition Contest
On a crisp, cool evening in downtown El Paso, an energetic, enthusiastic crowd of 9,772 fans witnessed a memorable exhibition game between the San Diego Padres and their Triple A affiliate, the El Paso Chihuahuas. The Padres put on a show as they utilized their best players, which included MLB All-Stars Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers, in what could be described as 'old home week,' as they included six former Chihuahuas in their starting lineup.
El Paso jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a 2-run homer by Ruddy Giron, but San Diego would rally to score the next five consecutive runs, including a monster pinch-hit 2-run home run by 2016 Pacific Coast League MVP Hunter Renfroe off of the Santa Fe Bridge in the fifth inning.
The Padres held a 6-3 edge going into the bottom of the 7th, but the Chihuahuas put together an eight batter inning to tie the game up at 6-6. San Diego would go on to score in the 8th and 9th en route to the 8-6 final, and sealed their second victory over the Chihuahuas in the past few seasons.
Following the game Padres manager Andy Green had players great fans and sign autographs in a classy move. Green absolutely loves Southwest University Park as he said, "This is as good, if not, the best facility in Minor League Baseball, tremendous place for our players to play before they come to San Diego. Our partnership is strong. It's a special city." What a night of baseball in El Paso, as numerous past Chihuahuas met the present squad of youngsters; get ready for the regular season which gets under way on April 5th at Las Vegas. Tune in to all Chihuahuas games on 600 ESPN El Paso with Tim Hagerty.