Nelson Fans Nine In Loss To Frisco Saturday Night

Saturday, September 18, 2021 vs. Frisco [TEX]

Frisco RoughRiders (64-54) | Amarillo Sod Poodles (58-61)

The Sod Poodles fell 5-3 to the Frisco RoughRiders in their final Saturday night contest at HODGETOWN.

In the eighth inning, after Amarillo led through the first seven frames, Frisco rallied for three runs in the last two innings to come back and keep their postseason hopes alive.

Buddy Kennedy and Geraldo Perdomo highlighted the Soddies bats with a home run each in their multi-hit performances.

Right-hander and D-backs No. 5 rated prospect Ryne Nelson tossed his final outing of the season, taking a no-decision after seven innings of four-hit, two-run ball with no walks allowed and nine strikeouts.

In the opening half for the Soddies, Stone Garrett knocked a line-drive single to shallow right field before Kennedy put Amarillo on the board with his two-run home run to centerfield.

In the third, after two quick Soddies outs, Perdomo added on another run for the home squad with his opposite-field solo home run to extend the lead to 3-0.

After four perfect frames by Nelson, the 'Riders struck in the fifth when Blaine Crim hit a solo home run to left field to break the scoreless bid. With one out, J.P. Martinez restarted the frame with a single and came around to score following a stolen base and RBI base hit by Josh Stowers to narrow Amarillo's lead to 3-2.

In the top of the eighth, Frisco quickly put the pressure on reliever Matt Brill after two consecutive walks put the tying and go-ahead runs on. After a wild pitch sent both runners into scoring position, Brill kept the runners at bay with a strikeout for the first out. But, during the next at-bat, a wild pitch sent the tying run across the plate. Josh Smith followed with a slow chopper to Perdomo which he misplayed, allowing the go-ahead run to score and give the 'Riders a late 4-3 lead.

In the ninth, Biggers lined a double off the left-field wall to bring a run in, but a bullet throw to the plate by Dominic Canzone saved a second run from successfully scoring, keeping it at a two-run deficit.

In the bottom half, the Soddies saw just nine pitches combined, going down in order and falling to the 'Riders, who continue to stay alive in the postseason race.

The season finale will take place tomorrow, Sunday, September 19 with D-backs' No. 26 rated prospect Brandon Pfaadt (1-1, 4.28) on the mound for Amarillo. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PM.

Notes:

*Nelson's Final Bow: *D-backs' No. 5 rated prospect Ryne Nelson tossed his final outing of 2021. Over seven frames, the right-hander allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and nine strikeouts. Overall, in Double-A, Ryne went 3-3 with a 3.51 ERA over 14 starts (30 ER/77 IP) with 26 walks allowed and 104 strikeouts. With his 163 combined strikeouts with two teams, he ranks third in all of the Minors while fellow teammate Brandon Pfaadt is behind him currently at eighth in Minors with 155.

*Consecutive Homer Games: *Buddy Kennedy marked the 13th time a Soddies player has hit a home run in consecutive games during the 2021 campaign. Individually, it marked the second time this season that Kennedy met the feat. His first time was when he hit home runs on 8/24 and 8/26.

Bomb City Bombs: Buddy Kennedy and Geraldo Perdomo added home runs 154 and 155 for the Soddies squad Saturday night at HODGETOWN. It marked Kennedy's 17th of the year and Perdomo's sixth.

Full House at HODGETOWN: Saturday night marked another sellout at HODGETOWN with a total of 6,530 people cheering on the Soddies. It is the 10th sellout of 2021, and 50th overall since the HODGETOWN gates opened in 2019.

Still Streaking: Buddy Kennedy extended his hit streak to eight games Saturday night. Over the eight games, Kennedy is batting .485 (16-for-33) with a double, triple, five home runs, and nine RBI. Ryder Jones, who did not start Saturday, is also riding a nine-game streak, batting .361 (13-for-26) with four doubles, a triple, home run, and five RBI with a .962 OPS. Dominic Miroglio's nine-game hit streak came to an end Saturday after going hitless. In the span, he batted .375 (12-for-32) with three home runs, a double, six RBI, and a 1.162 OPS.