Pointy Boots Stumble In Shutout

Amarillo, TEX – The Amarillo Sod Poodles (13-11), competing as Los Pointy Boots de Amarillo on Cinco de Mayo, fell 3-0 to the Midland RockHounds (11-13) on Thursday night. The shutout was the first time that the Sod Poodles have gone scoreless this season and first time in franchise history in their home ballpark.

The Sod Poodles had Deyni Olivero (0-2) on the mound for his second start of the season, and he allowed all three runs of the game in a losing effort. Midland’s starter Jack Cushing (2-1) earned the win and cruised through his five scoreless innings of work, striking out eight Sod Poodles with no walks and five hits.

After Amarillo scored first in games one and two, Midland jumped ahead early in game three with a run in the top of the 1st. Olivero allowed three hits including an RBI single from Logan Davidson and struck out two.

Leandro Cedeño and Jorge Barrosa singled in the 2nd, extending both of their hitting streaks to six games.

After the eventful 1st, Olivero settled in by retiring the next seven batters in a row, but the RockHounds grew their lead with two runs in the 4th. Jeremy Eierman doubled and was scored on a two-run home run by Jordan Diaz. Eduardo Diaz made a play at the wall on the home run, but the ball ricocheted off of his glove and bounced into the grassy right field berm.

Ti’Quan Forbes and Barrosa led off the bottom of the 4th with singles, but the next three batters struck out to leave them stranded.

Olivero was relieved in the top of the 5th by Justin Vernia, ending his night at 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB and 4 K on 66 pitches while trailing 3-0. Vernia allowed one hit and struck out four in his two scoreless innings of work.

Ty Tice came on in relief in the top of the 7th. He walked two batters but struck out two in a scoreless frame. Keegan Curtis pitched the 8th and did not allow a run while walking two. Jeff Bain entered to pitch the 9th, and escaped the inning by forcing a double play with runners at the corners.

Trailing by three in the bottom of the 9th, Amarillo went 1-2-3 to go scoreless in a game for the first time this season. The RockHounds’ pitching staff collected 13 strikeouts and the Sod Poodles went 0-6 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Barrosa and Forbes both collected two hits to lead Amarillo.

The Sod Poodles and RockHounds will meet for game four tomorrow, May 6, with first pitch from HODGETOWN at 7:05 PM. RHP Brandon Pfaadt (1-1, 4.19 ERA) and LHP Ty Damron (0-1, 7.47 ERA) are scheduled to clash on the mound.

Notes

Big Bat Barrosa: Since being promoted to AA Amarillo on April 22, OF Jorge Barrosa has excelled at the plate and added a 2-for-4 performance tonight. He is batting .342/.419/.553 through his first 10 games and extended his hitting streak to six games tonight. On his streak, he has five multi-hit games with two HR and six RBI. On top of his hot hitting, he has stolen four bases as well. Across 20 games this season with Amarillo and A+ Hillsboro, Barrosa is batting .321 with 12 RBI and has recorded a hit in 17 games.

Blanked: The 3-0 defeat was the first time the Sod Poodles have been shut out in 2022 and the first time they have been shut out in HODGETOWN history. The goose egg was Amarillo’s first time being shut out since September 1, 2021, a game they lost 2-0 against San Antonio. Amarillo was held scoreless in six games last season.

Blistering Bullpen: Since returning to Amarillo for the homestand, the Sod Poodles’ relief core has been excellent. Three games into the series against Midland, the bullpen has allowed just one run in 14.0 innings. The 10 different relievers used in the series have combined to allow just 10 hits and seven walks while striking out 15. Through three games, the RockHounds are 3-for-29 with runners in scoring position. Coming into the homestand, the bullpen owned the highest ERA in Double-A at 7.98, but their 0.69 ERA so far in the series has lowered their season mark to 7.05.

*Brilliant Barricade: *For the sixth game in a row, the Sod Poodles did not commit an error. They lead the Texas League with 57.2 consecutive error-free innings, dating back to April 28. On the year, Amarillo owns a .973 fielding percentage and 23 errors, 7th and 8th in the Texas League, respectively.