The ACL Mariners were six outs away from victory Saturday afternoon, but a late Padres rally erased a two-run deficit as Seattle fell 3-2 in walk-off fashion at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Seattle’s pitching was in control early, led by Connor Wilford. The right-hander delivered five scoreless innings, scattering four hits while striking out four and working around three walks to keep the Padres off the scoreboard.

The Mariners broke through in the third inning. Joshua Francis reached after being hit by a pitch before Nick Becker lined a single into left field. One batter later, Leandro Romero delivered an RBI single to score Francis and give Seattle a 1-0 lead.

Seattle added an insurance run in the sixth. Diego Contreras singled with one out and advanced to third on Brayden Corn’s single. Francis then grounded into a fielder’s choice, allowing Contreras to score and extend the Mariners’ lead to 2-0.

San Diego answered in the bottom half of the sixth. Following a pitching change, a wild pitch allowed Jesmaylin Arias to score from third, cutting the Mariners’ lead to 2-1.

The Padres completed the comeback in the seventh. After loading the bases, another wild pitch tied the game before Luis De Leon lined a walk-off single to left field, scoring Santiago Vargas and handing the Padres the 3-2 victory.

Despite the loss, Seattle outhit San Diego, 8-7. Romero finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Dalton Davis also collected two hits. Contreras went 2-for-3 with a double, a stolen base, and a run scored, and Corn added a single in the sixth-inning rally.

The Mariners had opportunities to add to their lead throughout the afternoon but stranded eight runners and finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

The loss dropped Seattle to 17-15 on the season. The Mariners return home Sunday to open a matchup against the ACL Diamondbacks at the Peoria Sports Complex, where they will look to bounce back and finish the week on a winning note.