Hernandez, Garrett Propel Soddies to Saturday Night Win

Midland, Texas — The Sod Poodles jumped out to a first inning lead and never looked back on Saturday evening, beating the Midland RockHounds 5-3 at Momentum Bank Ballpark.

Sod Poodles lefty Kenny Hernandez (W, 1-2) tossed five scoreless frames to begin his outing, as Amarillo's offense grabbed an early lead.

In the top of the first inning, new Soddies outfielder Ben DeLuzio laced a one-out triple in his first Amarillo at-bat. DeLuzio later scored on a wild pitch uncorked from Midland starter Jack Cushing (L, 0-1). DeLuzio had two hits and walked twice in his Amarillo debut.

In the fourth, Jancarlos Cintron collected an RBI single to make it 2-0. Cintron had three singles in the contest and walked in his last plate appearance. Cushing went four innings and allowed two runs in his first Double-A start.

The Sod Poodles added on in the fifth, as Stone Garrett belted his team-leading 16th home run with a towering solo shot to left field. Garrett's blast, which was one of his three hits in the ballgame, gave the Soddies a 3-0 advantage. Dominic Miroglio plated a run with a triple in the sixth to make it 4-0.

In the bottom half of the sixth, Hernandez allowed a single and a walk before RockHounds outfielder Jhonny Santos hit a three-run homer to left field with two outs. Santos' long ball came on the final pitch of Hernandez's outing. Hernandez threw 94 pitches in 5.2 innings.

The Soddies responded with a run in the top of the seventh, as Garrett struck again with an RBI single. Amarillo led 5-3.

Soddies relievers shined after Hernandez exited. Jeff Bain, Mitchell Stumpo, and Blake Rogers (SV, 6) combined for 3.1 scoreless frames to secure Amarillo's win.

After getting the final out in the sixth, Bain tossed a scoreless seventh. Stumpo retired the side in order in the 8th. Rogers struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth, earning his sixth save with the Sod Poodles in 2021.

The Sod Poodles aim for a third series win in their last four on Sunday in Midland. First pitch is at 2 p.m. The Sod Poodles send righty Drey Jameson to the mound, while Midland counters with lefty Ty Damron.

Coverage on the Sod Poodles Radio Network with Sam Levitt begins at 1:40 p.m. on Amarillo's NewsTalk 940 AM and Mix 94.1 FM.