9th Inning Rally Falls Short In Springfield

Springfied, MO – The Sod Poodles scored five runs in the top of the 9th but dropped game one to the Springfield Cardinals 11-10 on Tuesday, May 10 at Hammons Field.

Amarillo hit two home runs in the 9th and three total in the game, but were out-hit 15-12 by Springfield. RHP Bryce Jarvis (2-1) took the loss for the Soddies and RHP Kyle Leahy (1-4) earned his first win of the year for the Cardinals. 10 players had multiple hits in the high-scoring affair.

The Sod Poodles – competing as Los Pointy Boots de Amarillo – jumped on the board in the top of the 1st. Eduardo Diaz reached on an error and stole a base and Andy Yerzy drew a walk, setting up Dominic Fletcher to score one on an RBI single. The hit extended his active streak to 15 games in a row. Jorge Barrosa scored Yerzy on an RBI groundout to make it 2-0, Amarillo.

The Cardinals took no time to respond on the scoreboard and put up five in the bottom of the 1st. Jarvis allowed all five runs and only lasted 0.2 innings after throwing 39 pitches. He surrendered a hit to the first four batters he faced, followed by two walks, an error, and two more hits. Jarvis finished with a final line of 0.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB and no strikeouts after facing nine batters. He was relieved by Kai-Wei Lin, who escaped the inning.

Trailing 5-2, Amarillo added one in the top of the 2nd off the bat of Juan Centeno. He blasted a solo home run to center field, his sixth of the year.

Lin breezed through the 2nd and 3rd, finishing with 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB and 1 K. He was relieved by Brett de Geus, who allowed two runs in the bottom of the 4th to give the Cardinals a 7-3 lead.

Leahy struck out six Sod Poodles and only allowed two hits over his final five innings pitched. He finished with just one earned run over his 7.0 innings pitched.

Springfield added to their lead with four runs in the bottom of the 6th off of Josh Green. The first two batters of the inning reached, and both were scored on a three-run home run. Two batters later, a solo homer made it an 11-3 Cardinals lead. Green finished with four earned runs in just 0.2 IP, and Justin Lewis finished the game with 2.1 scoreless innings for the Sod Poodles.

Amarillo was just 1-12 when trailing after the 8th inning in games this year, and a valiant late-inning effort nearly gave them their second such win. Diaz and Fletcher singled in the 8th and both were scored on a two-RBI single by Ti’Quan Forbes.

Blaze Alexander led off the top of the 9th with a double and he scored two batters later on an RBI double from Jancarlos Cintron. Corbin Carroll then drew a walk, and Diaz scored him on a two-run moonshot home run to right field. Yerzy followed him up with a solo homer of his own, bringing the Sod Poodles within a run with just one out. The next two batters were retired on a strikeout and flyout, leaving the comeback effort just short.

Four Sod Poodles had multi-hit games, led by Diaz’s three. They batted 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position and only left four runners on base. The pitching staff allowed 15+ hits for the seventh time this season, struck out five and walked seven.

The Cardinals and Sod Poodles will meet in a morning game again tomorrow, Wednesday, May 11th at Hammons Field with first pitch at 11:30 AM. RHP Deyni Olivero (0-2, 8.64 ERA) will be on the mound for Amarillo to face LHP Domingo Robles (1-1, 3.42 ERA) for Springfield.

Notes

Home Run Kings: The Sod Poodles hit three home runs in today’s contest and currently lead all of Double-A with 51 homers as a team (second is Tulsa, 38). This was the third game in a row that Amarillo has hit multiple home runs, with 14 total dingers in that span. On the season, the Sod Poodles have hit 29 solo home runs, 11 two-run, 9 three-run and two grand slams. Corbin Carroll leads the team with nine long bombs and Leandro Cedeno has seven.

Diaz The Destroyer: OF Eduardo Diaz has been on a tear at the plate recently. Over his last three games, Diaz is batting .467 (7-for-15) with seven runs scored, three home runs and nine RBI, with multiple hits in every game. Diaz’s production has come in bunches this season as he is second on the team with 10 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games. Today was Diaz’s fifth three-hit game of the year, most of any Sod Poodle. On the season, Diaz is batting .273 with three HR and 21 RBI.

Lockdown Lewis: RHP Justin Lewis has been the most consistent arm out of the Amarillo bullpen this year. He tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in today’s game, bringing his consecutive scoreless appearance streak to four games. He also now owns the lowest ERA on the team, sitting at a career-low 1.93. He has only allowed three runs all year, each coming via a solo home run. On the year, Lewis is 2-0 with a 16:6 K/BB ratio in nine appearances.

Fletcher Keeps Feasting: OF Dominic Fletcher recorded another two-hit game and extended his active hitting streak to 15 games in a row. After recording a franchise-record seven RBI in the finale against Midland on Sunday, Fletcher added another RBI today to give him a team-leading 31 on the year. He is now tied with Springfield’s Moises Gomez (who had one RBI today) for most in the Texas League. Over his hitting streak, Fletcher is batting .359 (23-for-64) with 6 HR and 19 RBI.

Don’t Run On The Gun: Trying to steal a base on C Juan Centeno is not a good idea. Springfield’s Jordan Walker tried it in the 3rd inning but was promptly gunned down at second base. Walker was the eighth runner caught stealing by Centeno this year, the most of any catcher in the Texas League. Centeno has caught eight runners in 18 attempts, good for a 0.444 caught stealing percentage. In his career, Centeno has a 0.377 CS% in minor league baseball and a .135 CS% in the majors.

*Sitting Even: *At .500 (14-14) on the year, the Sod Poodles have been nearly .500 in multiple different situations. They are 8-7 at home games and 6-7 on the road, while also sitting at 9-9 against right-handed pitchers and 5-5 against lefties. They are 6-7 when they commit an error and 8-7 when they do not, and also 6-7 against the Texas League North and 8-7 against the TL South. They have split three of their five series this season as well.