Long Balls Lift Amarillo to Series Opening Win

Box Score

AMARILLO – The Sod Poodles supplemented a pair of first-inning runs with three solo dingers to knock off the Hooks, 5-4, in the series opener Tuesday night at Hodgetown.

Corpus Christi struck first with three consecutive two-out hits against Deyni Olivero. Doubles by Justin Dirden and Alex McKenna bookended a Will Wagner single. McKenna’s two-bagger plated both Dirden and Wagner.

Dirden, who had an eight-game hitting streak snapped Sunday, went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. He leads the Texas League with 50 extra-base hits.

The Sod Poodles answered in the home half thanks to a two-out, two-run double by Eduardo Diaz. Misael Tamarez would allow three more runs over his 4 2/3 innings. The blasts by Drew Stankiewicz and Leandro Cedeno came with two out in the second and fifth, respectively. Dominic Canzone’s clout opened the third.

Olivero bounced back to blank the Hooks before leaving the game in the sixth due to an apparent injury. Olivero retired 11 of the final 13 men he faced to pick up his first Double-A win.

The Hooks broke through in the seventh against Austin Pope. Cesar Salazar opened the inning with a 425-foot home run to straightaway center. Two outs later, C.J. Stubbs drove a 1-0 pitch onto the right-field berm for his first Double-A home run.

With the Sod Poodle lead cut to 5-4, lefty Mack Lemieux entered and retired three of four batters. Blake Rogers earned his eighth save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Julio Robaina turned in three shutout frames out of the Corpus Christi bullen. The lefty Robaina struck out three against two singles.