SAN ANTONIO- Two former Tabor College players, Alex Mann and Kori Melo, ruled the day as the Texas Winter League began its second week of play on Tuesday.

CAPITALS 5 - TEJANOS 1

Alex Mann enjoyed a streak where he struck out eight straight batters and finished with 10 strikeouts in five innings as the Capitals beat the Tejanos at the Missions Academy Field One.

Mann was dominant and accurate on the mound, allowing only one hit and walking one batter in relief of winning pitcher Kevin Osaki (1-0). After Mann allowed a sharp single through the middle to Daiki Miyazaki, the first batter he faced in the bottom of the third inning, he would retire the Tejanos’ (1-4) centerfielder on a strike‘em out, throw ‘em out double play with Dillon Sauers batting to begin his impressive streak of consecutive batters fanned.

Changing speeds and showing pinpoint control, the 6-2 right-hander did not allow another baserunner until Atsuya Tokoh walked with two out in the seventh and final inning to earn a save.

“I was just confident and knew what I could do. It is hard not to be confident on a beautiful day,” Mann said. The game was played under sunny skies and in 73 degree temperatures.

The Capitals (3-2) scored all of their runs in the top of the second inning off Tejanos starter Jeremy Hall. After Hall had a momentary loss of control and walked the bases loaded, shortstop Will Wurth singled to right field to give the Caps a 2-1 lead.

Wurth and Masanari Kato then pulled off a second-to-home double steal to make it 3-1, and Wurth would score on second baseman Shin Komori’s error. Finally, Battaglia would come home from second base when Hall muffed a throw from Komori on a Takahiro Kaneko ground ball that allowed the Caps’ catcher to reach base with two outs.

Hall (0-1) lasted five innings and struck out six batters while only allowing two hits, but by surrendering all four of his walks in the second inning he opened himself up to the big inning.

Sauers put the Tejanos up 1-0 in the bottom of the first when he singled home Miyazaki off Osaki. It was the only hit the right-hander allowed in his two inning start, in which he walked two and struck out four.

Jamie Perez and Randy Martin both pitched scoreless innings for the Tejanos.

APACHES 7 - ALAMOS 5

Kori Melo colleted four hits in as many at bats en route to driving in three runs and scoring twice in the Apaches 7-5 victory against the Alamos at Nelson Wolff Stadium.

Twice the Apaches overcame deficits to take the lead and twice Melo was involved.

In the top of the second, Melo’s bases loaded single off Alamos starter Matt Orefice (1-1) drove in Kinnosuke Kamiya to tie the score 1-1. Mario Apolinar would follow with a 2-run single, and Melo then scored the Apache’s fourth run with a by stealing home on the back end of a double steal.

Then, after the Alamos (2-2-1) scored four runs in the third off Apaches (2-3) starter Naoki Hashimoto in the third, Melo’s single off reliever Hikam Ogawa (0-1) tied the score, and Jacob Fabry’s double to right scored Melo to give the Apaches the 6-5 lead they would not relinquish.

That’s because right-hander Hidekatsu Mitani was effective, shutting out the Alamos for 4 2/3 innings while seemingly getting stronger in their final three innings. He recorded all eight of his strikeouts during that time while limiting the Alamos to three hits and four walks.

The Alamos took an early 1-0 lead off Hashimoto when Ben Boykin, given a new life after third baseman Jonathan Grishman lost a foul popup in the sun, doubled home shortstop Rob Perrin. They retook it off the former Cleveland farmhand on a Perrin double that drove in Mike Shada, a wild pitch to score Perrin, and a 2-run single by Charles Shapiro off Mitani that scored Boykin and Andrew Carmadella, who had reached on walks.

Hashimoto fanned four batters in 2 1/3 innings, but continued to have the control problems that plagued his time in the Arizona League by walking five and giving up three hits.

It was the wild pitch that prompted Apaches manager Brooks Carey to remove Hashimoto with a 3-1 count on Alamos designated hitter Joseph Charles. Though Mitani surrendered the ball that put Charles on first base, he and Melo also combined to get the Apaches out of the inning without further damage when the Japanese right-hander induced Mike Stier to hit a short looper to left field that Melo caught several feet on to the outfield grass from his shortstop position.

But Charles took off from third in an attempt to score on a 120-foot sacrifice fly, and Melo was able to easily throw out the burly runner.

Melo drove in the final run of the game with his fourth hit to score Grishman and chase Ogawa in the fifth inning.

But after the game, Melo deflected his own praise and instead complimented his double play partner, Apolinar.

“He’s hungry. For having very little and having a thirst for knowledge and experience, I can relate to that.”

Boykin, Grishman, and Apaches right fielder Nate Lewellyn all had two hits in the game, while Cam Margaris showed off his 91 mile per hour fastball to hold the Apaches scoreless and strike out five in the final 2 1/3 innings.

WRANGLERS 5 - PERICOS 3

Efficient pitching was the rule of the day as the Wranglers (3-1-1) moved into first place in the Texas Winter League Tuesday morning with a victory against the Pericos (3-2).

Brandon Cowan (1-0) limited the Pericos to four hits and a walk while fanning four in five innings to earn his first pitching victory of the season, leaving with a 4-2 lead.

Casey McMickle (1-1) was also impressive as the Pericos pitching staff didn’t walk a single batter. McMickle was victimized by a defense that cost him two unearned runs, the difference in the game.

Matt Clark secured the Wranglers’ victory with a pinch-hit RBI triple in the top of the seventh off fellow southpaw Rene Solis.

Reid Hoffler retired all four batters he faced to earn his second save of the year.

The Wranglers’ Jack Morrow had two doubles to raise his average to .412.