Tirso Ornelas finished his most productive season as a pro yet with a bang.
Two bangs, actually.
They just weren’t enough for Triple-A El Paso to finish the season on an 11-game winning streak.
Instead, right-hander Logan Gillaspie coughed up three runs in the ninth inning in Las Vegas’ walk-off 6-5 win over the Chihuahuas.
The 24-year-old Ornelas did what he could.
His second blast of the game gave El Paso a lead in the sixth inning, and upped his career-high total to 23, tops in the Padres system this year.
Ornelas hit his 21st homer in the first inning, only for Rancho Bernardo High’s Cal Mitchell to briefly tie him with his 21st homer of the season.
Ornelas drove in two runs to push his system-leading total to 89 RBIs. He finishes with an .297/.367/.497 batting line.
Mitchell (.871 OPS) drove in two runs on two hits and left fielder Connor Hollis (.724 OPS) went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI for insurance in the ninth inning.
Among the relievers who followed right-hander Jarred Kollar’s start (3 IP, 3 ER), right-hander Sean Reynolds (6.17 ERA) allowed a hit in a scoreless frame in his first appearance since Sept. 13.
Reynolds had been in San Diego to have his left knee examined. With 21 strikeouts over 11 innings this year in the majors (0.82 ERA), a healthy Reynolds would receive strong consideration for a postseason bullpen.
El Paso finishes the season with a 64-86 record.