Late Homer The Difference In Sod Poodles 6-5 Loss To Hooks 

Amarillo, Texas — Game three of this six-game series between Corpus Christi and Amarillo was tied heading into the ninth inning. A back and fourth contest went in favor of the Hooks after a ninth inning home run was too much for Amarillo to overcome late.

Corpus jumped out to a 2-0 lead four pitches into the game. A leadoff single followed by a two-run home run had RHP Ryan Weiss and the Soddies in a hole early.

Amarillo carried the momentum from their 20-hit, 19-run performance from a night ago into tonight's game. Alek Thomas and Jancarlos Cintron each singled and swiped second base, giving Stone Garrett two runners in scoring position when he stepped up to the plate. An opposite field line drive knotted the game at 2-2. Garrett also stole second base and was moved to third on a ground out before Dominic Fletcher notched his eighth RBI of the series with a single that gave the team a 3-2 lead.

Weiss settled into the game following a 32 pitch first inning. He retired the Hooks in order in each of the next three frames as the Sod Poodles clinched to their one run lead through four innings. A two out walk came back to bite Weiss when the very next batter roped a two-RBI double into the left-center field gap to put the Hooks back on top.

Amarillo didn't trail for long though. After a pitching change for Corpus, the Sod Poodles welcomed J.P. France to the game with a double off the bat of Alek Thomas. Thomas had been in a bit of a slump entering the game, going 4-for-28 over his last seven games with three of those hits coming in one game. Thomas had hit safely in 17 of his first 21 games and saw his batting average drop from .343 on May 27th to the .274 he had entering tonight.

Much like Weiss in the top of the fifth, France looked poised to get away unscathed after the leadoff double. However, a two-out walk kept the inning alive for Luis Basabe who tied the game with his RBI single to score Thomas.

Luis Castillo and Mitchell Osnowitz were each effective out of the bullpen for Amarillo. Combining for 2.1 scoreless innings with Castillo allowing just one hit.

Fletcher found himself as the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth after hitting a ball off the left-center wall and cruised into second with one out. Amarillo failed to push him across and the game remained tied heading into the top of the ninth.

Brandyn Sittinger entered the game with three straight scoreless appearances and got through his first inning of work without much of a sweat. A leadoff walk in the top of the ninth proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Soddies with Hooks outfielder Marty Costes breaking the tie with a go-ahead two-run home run.

Thomas pulled the Soddies within one run with his fifth home run of the season in the bottom of the ninth but the Sod Poodles could not muster another hit and fell 6-5 to the Hooks.

Game four of this series will continue tomorrow night here at HODGETOWN with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM.

Notes:

Bashing Time: Stone Garrett carried over his hot bat from last night, tying the game in the bottom of the first inning with his two-RBI single. Garrett is 11-for-23 with three home runs and seven RBI in his last six games.

Just A Matter Of Time: After a 4-for-28 start to the month of June, Alek Thomas notched his 10th multi-hit game of the season with his 3-for-5 performance tonight. Three of Thomas' hits this month came in the teams 20-hit outburst on June 5th in Frisco. Thomas still entered tonight's game tied for the team lead in batting average with fellow outfielder Stone Garrett at .274 but regained his solo lead.

Lotta Zeros: Luis Castillo and Mitchell Osnowitz each entered tonight's game with a stretch of scoreless outings. Castillo has tossed eight scoreless games in his 12 appearances to start this year. As for Osnowitz, he came into the game with four consecutive scoreless outings and 5-of-6 games since joining the club. The only run Osnowitz has allowed came on a solo home run 5/22 vs. Midland.

France Fried...Again: J.P France tossed four innings of work against the Sod Poodles tonight, allowing one run on three hits after replacing Hooks starter Joe Record. France faced the Sod Poodles in the series finale the first time these teams met, also tossing four innings then without allowing a hit. Two of France's three wins this season have come at the expense of Amarillo.

But..The Formula: Before tonight, Amarillo was 10-1 in games where they out-hit or were at least tied in hits. Despite a four run advantage in the hit column, the Soddies took the loss. It also marks just the second time the team lost after at least sharing a lead heading into the ninth inning.