Cedeño’s 9th-Inning Double Wins Series For Amarillo

Wichita, KS – Leandro Cedeño hit a go-ahead, two-RBI double in the 9th inning to snatch a 4-3 victory from the Wichita Wind Surge on Sunday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium.

With the win, Amarillo won the series four games to two and improved to 5-5-4 in series this year. Every game against the Wind Surge was decided by three or fewer runs.

Cedeño got his big night started with a single in the 1st inning and advanced to second, but the Wind Surge got on the board first in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff, solo home run off of Sod Poodles starter Brandon Pfaadt.

Pfaadt bounced back with two strikeouts and escaped the frame, but Wichita doubled their lead with a run in the bottom of the 2nd. Pfaadt picked up his third strikeout before allowing a single and a two-out RBI triple to make it 2-0, Wind Surge.

Amarillo got on the board with three hits in the 3rd. Andy Yerzy and Drew Stankiewicz led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and a sacrifice bunt advanced them both into scoring position. Cedeño came through in the clutch spot, and the team leader in RBI plated his 56th run of the season with an RBI single. Stankiewicz hustled around third and tried to make it home as well, but he was tagged out on a nice throw from the right fielder to end the inning.

Trailing 2-1, Andy Yerzy tied the game in the 5th inning with a leadoff solo home run. He took the first pitch he saw deep to right-center field, his 8th home run of the year, and his first in the month of July.

Pfaadt allowed a double in the 4th and two baserunners to reach in the 5th but ended his outing after five innings with the game knotted up at two. The Diamondbacks’ No. 8 prospect and the current Double-A leader in strikeouts earned a no-decision in the contest, finishing with 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, and 5 K on 84 pitches.

Both Amarillo and Wichita put runners in scoring position in the 6th, but neither could break the tie. Roby Enriquez reached on a two-out error and stole 2nd in the top of the inning, but he was left stranded. In the bottom of the frame, Slade Cecconi relieved Pfaadt. He walked two batters, and one was caught trying to steal 3rd by Yerzy behind the dish. Another walk put two on, but a lineout ended the threat.

Cecconi issued his fourth walk of the game in the 7th, and the runner stole 2nd to put himself in scoring position. Slade responded with a strikeout and a popout to send the game to the 8th tied at 2-2.

After Amarillo notched two hits in the top of the inning, the Wind Surge took the lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th. It was the third leadoff home run in the game between the two teams, this one off of Cecconi to make it 3-2.

Needing some magic in the top of the 9th, Yerzy led off the frame with a hit-by-pitch. He was pinch-run by Jose Curpa, who was joined on the bases by Tristin English on a two-out walk. Cedeño returned to the batter's box in another clutch situation, but quickly fell behind 0-2 after two swinging strikes.

Cedeño, who has been the most productive offensive player for Amarillo over the past two series, stayed cool and took a ball, fouled off the next pitch, and took two more balls to load the count. He battled off two more pitches foul and crushed the 9th pitch of the at-bat into center field to score both runners and give the Sod Poodles a 4-3 lead.

Yorvin Pantoja entered in the bottom of the 9th and quickly set down the Wind Surge 1-2-3 to secure his first save of the season. Amarillo is now undefeated in second-half series after taking four of six from both the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Wind Surge.

The Sod Poodles out-hit the Wind Surge 10-9, powered by Cedeño’s three-hit, three-RBI night. The pitching staff held Wichita to 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners, and the defense pitched in with their third straight error-free game.

With the conclusion of the series, the Sod Poodles will head back to HODGETOWN for a six-game series against the San Antonio Missions. San Antonio won the Texas League South First Half to secure their playoff spot, and Amarillo sits in second place at 8-4 so far in the second half.

Notes:

10 Out Of 10: 1B Leandro Cedeño extended his current hitting streak to 10 games tonight in a 3-for-5 effort with three RBI. He picked up his first hit of the game in the 1st inning and connected on an RBI single in the third, but no at-bat was bigger than his 9-pitch, two-out, two-RBI double in the top of the 9th that put Amarillo on top for good. He has been outstanding since the start of the Texas League Second Half and is batting .463 (19-for-41) with four home runs, 16 RBI, and 10 runs scored over the streak. He is just one game shy of tying his season-high 11-game hitting streak from May 28 to June 13, where he batted .400 (18-for-45) with six homers.

Hit ‘Em Out, Throw ‘Em Out (Again): Just like Juan Centeno did in Saturday’s victory, C Andy Yerzy both hit a bomb and caught a runner trying to steal in today’s game. His solo home run in the top of the 5th tied the game at two. It was his eighth home run of the year and first since he hit one in back-to-back games against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on June 24 and 28. He also caught a runner trying to steal third base in the 6th, his fifth caught stealing of the year. Yerzy has been a productive bat wherever he’s played in the Amarillo lineup, and extended his active on-base streak to 17 games, which ties Blaze Alexander (May 20 – June 6) for the third-longest such streak by a Sod Poodle this year. The streak is a new season-high for Yerzy, who had a 16-game on-base streak earlier this season. On the year, the powerful righty is batting

From The Pen: RHP Slade Cecconi made his first career relief appearance in today’s game, entering for starter Brandon Pfaadt in the 6th. Cecconi had started all 26 of his previous appearances, and earned the win today after allowing one run in three innings with four walks and a strikeout. It was his first action since June 25 after spending some time on the injured list. On the year, Arizona’s No. 9 prospect is 5-3 with a 4.31 ERA.

Next Man Up: After the Sod Poodles took a 4-3 lead with two outs in the top of the 9th, LHP Yorvin Pantoja was quickly called upon to secure the save from the bullpen. He was excellent in the clutch spot, retiring the Wind Surge in order to earn his first save of the season. It was the fourth save of his minor league career in 11 opportunities, with the previous three all coming with the Greenville Drive (A, BOS). On the season, the southpaw does not have a decision with an 11.57 ERA.

Happy Hoppers: Since being called up from High-A Hillsboro, OF Roby Enriquez and utility man Tristin English have both been quality bats in the Amarillo lineup. English went 1-for-3 tonight with a walk and a run scored to raise his batting average to a team-best .319. Enriquez supplied a 2-for-4 night as well, and he has eight multi-hit performances through 29 games with Amarillo.