Amarillo Falls 5-3 On Independence Day
Wichita, KS – A rare Monday evening game did not go in favor of the Sod Poodles, dropping the opening game of a six-game set in Wichita 5-3 to the Wind Surge on the 4th of July. The Sod Poodles used a Wind Surge miscue in the top of the
Wichita, KS – A rare Monday evening game did not go in favor of the Sod Poodles, dropping the opening game of a six-game set in Wichita 5-3 to the Wind Surge on the 4th of July.
The Sod Poodles used a Wind Surge miscue in the top of the first inning to score the first run of the game. Jorge Barrosa legged out a ball bobbled by the Wind Surge second baseman. Juan Centeno gapped a ball into left-center field and allowed Barrosa to use his plus speed to scoot home from first base as the Sod Poodles were up 1-0 after the top of the first.
That lead lasted just a pitch into the bottom of the first with the current Texas League leader in home runs, Matt Wallner jumping on the first pitch delivered from the right-hand of D-backs' No. 8 rated prospect Brandon Pfaadt. The Surge went up by two after a hit by pitch and wall-squeaker of a home run on an 0-2 count. Pfaadt ended up striking out the side, adding to his Double-A lead in the category.
The Sod Poodles chipped away at the deficit in the third inning. The first two batters of the frame were sent back in order prior to Roby Enriquez drawing a two-out walk to keep the inning alive. Sod Poodles' shortstop and Diamondbacks' No. 23 rated prospect made the two-out walk hurt, hitting the second RBI double of the game for Amarillo.
Pfaadt and the Sod Poodles kept it a one-run game into the bottom of the fifth inning. A leadoff double to the Surge nine-hole hitter was followed by the second home run of the game hit by Wallner. This one, a straightaway shot to center field surged Wichita in front 5-2. Pfaadt's night came to an end after 5.0 IP where he allowed eight hits and five earned on three home runs. The righty punched out another eight hitters on Monday while not issuing a single walk.
Amarillo once again cut into the lead, this time with the help of a leadoff triple from Andy Yerzy. A passed ball allowed Yerzy to scoot home to cut the Wind Surge lead to two runs. Two straight walks after the Yerzy triple along with a groundout to the Wichita first baseman placed two Soddies in scoring position for the heart of the Amarillo order. A sharply hit liner and a ground ball ended the inning as the Wind Surge clung to their two-run advantage.
First triple since 8/14/18..
— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) July 5, 2022
Been a while @ayerzy56 pic.twitter.com/HbSCEAPZEQ
Right-handers Josh Green and Ty Tice along with lefty Cam Booser combined to toss three scoreless innings where they allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out four.
Ti'Quan Forbes singled with two outs in the top of the 8th and was left stranded as the only baserunner to reach over the last two innings for Amarillo.
An off day is in order for the Sod Poodles and Wind Surge on Tuesday after playing seven games in seven days before continuing the series from Riverfront Stadium on Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Notes:
Pfilthy: Brandon Pfaadt saw his run of three straight quality starts come to an end on Monday night. The Wind Surge managed to score five runs, all on a trio of home runs off the D-backs' No. 8 rated prospect. Pfaadt, the current Double-A leader in strikeouts, fanned another eight on Monday night including striking out the side in the bottom of the first after surrendering a pair of home runs in between. The right-hander is now up to 113 strikeouts in 83.1 IP over his 15 starts in 2022 and has issued just 14 walks.
Been A While: Andy Yerzy smacked his second career triple on Monday night, hitting a ball off the top of the right-center wall. It was Yerzy's first triple since August 14, 2018, when he was with then Rookie-level Hillsboro. His career has spanned over 418 career games including some postseason action in 2017, 18, and 19, and a total of 1,532 career at-bats. After a 1-for-4 day at the plate, Yerzy is hitting .240 on the year with 19 XBH and 28 RBI.
Double-Trouble: Juan Centeno and Blaze Alexander each chipped in with RBI doubles on Monday night. For Centeno, it was his 26th RBI of the year and 10th double. Alexander's in the top of the third was also his 10th double of the season and his 20th RBI.
2-for-Forbes: Sod Poodles' third baseman Ti'Quan Forbes had the only multi-hit game in the Amarillo lineup, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles. It was his 12th two-hit game and 16th multi-hit game this season.
Arm Barn: The trio of Josh Green, Ty Tice, and Cam Booser allowed just three combined hits over the final three innings of work in relief of Brandon Pfaadt while not allowing a run. They each tallied a strikeout in their lone innings of work with Tice striking out two of the three batters he faced. It was their 7th, 12th, and 9th scoreless appearances respectively.