Five-Run 11th Inning Sparks Soddies In Series Opener

Springdale, ARK – The Amarillo Sod Poodles were victorious in game one against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in extra innings by a final score of 6-5. Amarillo led 1-0 entering the 9th and nine combined runs were scored in the 11th.

In a pitching duel through the first six innings, Diamondbacks’ No. 6 prospect RHP Drey Jameson battled the Royals’ No. 29 prospect LHP Drew Parrish. Neither pitcher allowed a run through the first six innings and combined to allow just four hits with 15 strikeouts and zero walks.

Jameson, the April 18-24 Texas League Pitcher of the Week, was dealing on the mound once again to the tune of 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K. The nine strikeouts was a team-high in 2022, and the scoreless outing extended his current scoreless streak to 16.0 innings, where he has 19 K, 6 H and zero walks in that span.

Corbin Carroll was the only Sod Poodle to get a hit off of Parrish, and Amarillo took the lead once he was relieved in the 7th. Dominic Fletcher and Ti’Quan Forbes put runners at the corners with a walk and a single with runners at the corners, and Juan Centeno made it 1-0 with an RBI single.

Blake Workman relieved Jameson and sent the Sod Poodles to the 9th with the lead. He allowed just one hit over two innings, his second consecutive scoreless outing.

Up by one in the 9th, Junior Garcia took the mound with three saves and a 3.86 ERA on the year. The first two batters were retired on balls put in play, but Garcia allowed a two-out double to put a runner in scoring position. He walked the next batter, and Sebastian Rivero tied the game at one with an RBI double to left field. Garcia walked the next batter to load the bases but escaped the jam with an inning-ending flyout. The blown save was Garcia’s first of the year.

Neither team plated a run in the 10th, with Garica allowing a single in his second inning of work. He was relieved in the 11th by Kai-Wei Lin, ending his afternoon at 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K.

Amarillo won on a walk-off in their last game that went 11 innings, and the bats came alive in the frame today to the tune of five runs scored. Off of the left-handed Walter Pennington, Eduardo Diaz led off the inning with a double that put the courtesy runner Carroll at third. Andy Yerzy was intentionally walked, and Carroll gave Amarillo the lead by scoring on a wild pitch.

Dominic Fletcher then drew a walk to re-load the bases, and Ti’Quan Forbes made it a two-run game with an RBI single. Centeno then gave the Soddies the lead for good with a two-RBI single to make it 6-1.

The Naturals threatened in the bottom of the 11th but fell just one run shy of the comeback. Kai-Wei Lin hit a batter and surrendered a sacrifice fly to make the score 6-2. After a walk and with two runners on base, Robbie Glendinning hit a three-run home run to bring the Naturals within one. Blake Rogers relieved Lin and retired the first batter he saw to secure his first save of the season.

Seven Sod Poodles recorded a hit, led by Diaz, Forbes and Centeno with two apiece. Centeno added three RBI, his second-most in a game this year. Amarillo also stole two bases (Fletcher, Barrosa) and left eight runners on base while the pitching staff struck out nine and stranded nine Naturals.

The Soddies have now won their last three series openers, and will look to continue their winning ways in game two tomorrow, Wednesday, April 27 at Arvest Ballpark with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm. Amarillo will have RHP Slade Cecconi (0-0, 3.29 ERA) on the mound to square off against LHP Anthony Veneziano (0-3, 18.47 ERA).

Notes

Can’t Score On Drey: RHP Drey Jameson now owns a 16.0-inning scoreless streak dating back to April 14 against the Tulsa Drillers. Over the three-game stretch, the Diamondbacks’ No. 6 prospect has struck out 19 batters and allowed just six hits with no walks. His 23 strikeouts on the season now lead the Sod Poodles and he sports a 2.41 ERA. Over his three-year minor league career, the 100-MPH fastballer has a 3.96 ERA with 180 strikeouts in 141.0 innings pitched.

Centeno Joins the Streaks: With his RBI single in the 7th, catcher Juan Centeno has now recorded a base hit in his last five games. He has been torching hot over the streak, batting .428 (9-for-21) with four home runs, 12 RBI and four multi-hit games. Centeno now joins OF/1B Leandro Cedeno (7 games, .462, 12-for-26), INF Jancarlos Cintron (7 games, .344, 10-for-29) and SS Blaze Alexander (5 games, .389, 4-for-18) as the four Sod Poodles with active five-plus game hitting streaks.

Error-Free: After their second game in a row without committing an error, the Sod Poodles are now riding a season-best 22.1 consecutive innings without committing an error. The streak surpassed their 22.0 consecutive innings to open the season from April 8 to April 10, their longest error-free start in franchise history. Amarillo has a .962 fielding percentage on the year with 20 errors, the most in the Texas League.

Swipers: The Sod Poodles stole two bases today, their third straight game with multiple steals. They rank 11th in Double-A and 4th in the Texas League with 19 total stolen bases, good for 1.2 per game. The Soddies are led in steals by Corbin Carroll (5) and Nick Dalesandro (4). Since joining the team just three games ago, Jorge Barrosa is tied for 3rd with Dominic Fletcher with three swipes. Last season, the Sod Poodles ranked 4th in the Texas League with 117 steals (0.98/game).

Extra W-innings: The Sod Poodles are now 2-1 in extra-inning games this season with one walk-off win. The two wins were both 11-inning victories today and on April 22 against San Antonio, and the loss was a 10-inning defeat to the Midland RockHounds on April 10. Amarillo has out-scored their opponents 7-5 in extra innings. Last season, the Sod Poodles were 5-5 in extra-inning games and recorded five walk-off wins.