Amarillo Rallies for Walk-Off Win

Box Score

AMARILLO - Caleb Roberts homered down the right field line to complete a four-run ninth inning for the Sod Poodles, who rallied for a 5-4 win over the Hooks before 5,407 fans Friday night at Hodgetown.

The walk-off victory hands Amarillo a 3-1 lead in the series, spoiling a strong by Hooks right-hander Aaron Brown.

After allowing a first-inning run, Brown stranded four - three in scoring position - from the second through the fourth. His eighth strikeout of the night opened the fifth, completing his outing at 67 pitches. Brown, who scattered six hits without issuing a walk, sports a 1.06 ERA in four August assignments.

Corpus Christi erased a 1-0 deficit with two runs in the fifth. Following a one-out single by Zach Cole, Tommy Sacco Jr. and Luis Baez teamed for back-to-back doubles to fuel the uprising.

Cole McDonald retired two of the three men he faced, bridging the gap to lefty Luis Angel Rodriguez, who blanked the Sod Poodles in his first three frames.

Meanwhile the Hooks received insurance on two impressive solo home runs by Baez and Cole. Baez's first Double-A homer, his 21st long ball of the year, was a 105 MPH laser that crashed into Bar 352, perched atop the left-field fence. Cole crushed a 1-0 pitch in the ninth that cleared the parking lot beyond the right-field berm, traveling an estimated 460 feet.

Amarillo's furious rally began with a home run by Jean Walters, his first in 20 Double-A games. Rodriguez bounced back to retire the next two hitters before a string of three consecutive hits rendered a win for the Sod Poodles, who were down to their final strike twice.