Canzone's 8th Inning Homer Secures Series Win

POSTGAME NOTES

Sunday, August 15, 2021 vs. Corpus Christi Hooks [HOU]

Corpus Christi Hooks (42-48) | Amarillo Sod Poodles (40-49)

Amarillo, Texas - After seeing a combined nine home runs hit between the clubs last night, Amarillo sent another three souveriners into the crowd Sunday. Amarillo's third home run of the night gave the Soddies an 8-7 lead in the eighth and ultimately the series win, taking four of six from the Hooks.

Sod Poodles starter Kenny Hernandez got the ball for the second time this series after starting game one on Tuesday night. Corpus Christi tacked on a run in the opening frame after picking up a pair of singles. They tacked on four more in the top of the second on the back of three straight extra base hits including back-to-back home runs to take a 5-0 lead on six hits through the first two frames.

After going down in order in the bottom of the first, Amarillo joined the home run parade during their second at bats. Geraldo Perdomo hit his second home run of the year with one out to chip away at the lead. The D-backs' No. 3 rated prospect hit his last home run on the road in Corpus Christi on May 26th. Since returning from the development list, Perdomo has looked much more confident at the plate, hitting .391 (9-for-23) with two doubles, triple, home run, five RBI, and six walks since August 7th.

Corpus Christi added another run on a solo home run to lead off the top of the fourth inning. Hernandez worked around a single off the bat of the next batter by getting a double play and then another ground ball to end the inning and send the Soddies back to work at the plate.

Stone Garrett reached in the bottom of the fourth on catcher interference but saw the next two batters go down in order. Amarillo then rattled off four straight hits including back-to-back RBI doubles from Dom Canzone and Luis Basabe. Dominic Miroglio drove in another run on a single, drawing Amarillo within a run of the lead.

Right-hander Jeff Bain came in relief of Hernandez in the top of the fifth. He picked up a strikeout before working around a double by getting the next two batters out. With the Sod Poodles chasing one run Garrett singled with one out to send Buddy Kennedy to the plate. Corpus made a pitching change, their first of the night. Kennedy sent the 2-0 pitch over the right field fence, tying the game in the process with his ninth Double-A homer this year.

After going three innings on Tuesday night's game with one run allowed on three hits, Bain was even better in this outing. Bain retired 9-of-12 batters he faced including a season-high six strikeouts to keep the game tied heading into stretch time at HODGETOWN.

After seeing the Soddies leave a runner stranded in the bottom of the seventh Corpus' Corey Julks picked up his second home run of the night to leadoff the top of the eighth as the Hooks took a 7-6 lead. Mack Lemieux proceeded to strike out the next three batters he faced in his only inning in the game.

Perdomo cranked a double off the center field wall to start the home half of the inning, nearly picking up his second home run of the night. Canzone did not miss his opportunity, taking the two-strike offering over the right-field wall, propelling Amarillo in front for the first time in the game. Basabe drew a walk but saw the next two batters retired, one via strikeout and another on a flyout.

Right-hander Matt Brill took over on the mound for his 18th appearance of the season. Seeking his first save with Amarillo, he fielded a comebacker and took it to the base himself for the first out of the inning. A lazy pop fly to Canzone in right put the Hooks down to their final out. A walk and double put the potential tying and go ahead runs in scoring position.Brill ended the Hooks comeback bid by striking out Barefoot and securing his first save of the year with Amarillo and the series win for the Sod Poodles.

Amarillo is off tomorrow before starting a six game series against Midland on Tuesday. The Sod Poodles and RockHounds chase for the Oil Pan Cup continues with the RockHounds currently holding a 10-6 advantage in the 2021 season. Amarillo took the inaugural season-series 18-12 in 2019.

Notes:

Homer Happy: After seeing these two clubs combine for a HODGETOWN regular-season record nine home runs last night, they were back at it this evening. The Hooks scored five of their seven runs via the home run while Amarillo picked up another three home runs - including the go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth. With the seven combined home runs tonight, it set a new franchise record for most home runs combined between two teams in a series Amarillo has been a part of. The mark was set earlier in the year with Amarillo and Midland combining for 24 homers in their series in mid June. The 30 homers in this series shattered that mark.

Hey, Gerald(o): D-backs' No. 3 rated prospect Geraldo Perdomo picked up his second home run of the year in Sunday's finale. Perdomo hadn't hit a home run since May 26th on the road in Corpus Christi. Since returning from the Development list, Perdomo is hitting .290 (9-for-31) with two doubles, a triple, home run, six walks, and five RBI. He has three multi-hit games over his last seven, including Sunday's 2-for-4 night with the home run and double, scoring twice.

Still Mi-Rollin: After going a perfect 4-for-4 on Saturday night, Miroglio kept at it on Sunday. He drew a walk before hitting a RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, making him a perfect 5-for-5 over the last five at bats in the series. The Hooks finally got the Soddies catcher out in the bottom of the sixth after he lined out to center field. Still after a 1-for-3 night, Miroglio has hit safely in his last six games, the longest such streak of his season. In this span, he is hitting .455 (10-for-22) with two home runs, a double, triple, and five RBI.

Buddy Bomb: Buddy Kennedy hit his second home run in front of the home crowd this year - both coming on Sunday's. The Millville, NJ native has nine home runs so far with Amarillo and 14 during his 2021 campaign. Tonight's home run tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the fifth inning. His 14 home runs are tied for the 4th most in the Diamondbacks farm system this season. Kennedy was selected in the 5th round of the 2017 MLB draft and had 11 professional home runs coming into this season.

His Name Is Jeff: Reliever Jeff Bain made his 20th appearance of the season Sunday night and tossed three scoreless, two-hit frames with six strikeouts. His six K's marked a season-high for the Cal Poly Pomona product and marked the most strikeouts in a relief appearance since he struck out seven in 5.1 IP on August 4, 2019 against Rancho Cucamonga. Overall on the week, Bain has totaled six innings with eight strikeouts, no walks, and a run.

Another Home Series Win: The Soddies completed their third series win overall in 2021 and second-straight series win at HODGETOWN. Overall in 2021, the Soddies are now 3-5-6 in 13 series (W-L-S).

40th Victory: The Soddies collected their 40th win on Sunday night in game 89 of the 2021 season with a late comeback victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks to take the series win. In 2019, the inaugural Sod Poodles reached win 40 in game 82 of the season.