Sod Poodle Claim Series In Wire To Wire Win

Amarillo, TX – Brandon Pfaadt racked up nine strikeouts and the Sod Poodles (24-27) hit four home runs in Sunday’s 10-3 wire-to-wire victory over the Midland RockHounds (23-28).

After earning a no-decision in a quality start in game one of the series on May 31, Pfaadt (3-3) took the mound and earned the win in today’s finale. He picked up right where he left off, striking out all three RockHounds in the 1st.

Amarillo jumped on top for good with three runs in the 1st inning. Eduardo Diaz was the first baserunner with a single, and Leandro Cedeño put the Soddies on the board with a 425-foot two-run home run to center field. The home run was his 11th of the year and first since May 17.

Nick Dalesandro and Roby Enriquez followed the homer with a single and a walk, and Andy Yerzy made it 3-0 Sod Poodles with an RBI single.

Pfaadt struck out two more in the 2nd, and the Sod Poodles doubled their lead with three more runs in the bottom of the inning. Drew Stankiewicz led off the frame with a double, and Corbin Carroll followed him with an RBI double. Eduardo Diaz then sent a ball flying over the left-field wall for a two-run dinger, his 6th of the year.

Midland got their first baserunner via a single in the 3rd and cut into the Amarillo lead with a two-run home run. The Sod Poodles immediately grew their lead back to six with another two-run home run in the bottom of the inning off the bat of Drew Stankiewicz

Pfaadt dazzled through six innings and turned in his third quality start in a row. He allowed just two runs on the 3rd-inning home run and tied his season-high with 9 strikeouts in a winning effort. On the year, the Diamondbacks’ No. 10 prospect improved to 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA. He ended his outing at 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, and 9 K.

The Sod Poodles continued the offensive barrage with a run in the 6th. The first three batters of the inning singled to load the bases, and one scored on a Cedeño sacrifice fly. They re-loaded the bases with just one out, but the next two batters were retired to end the frame.

Josh Green allowed one run in the top of the 7th, but Andy Yerzy answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the frame to give the Sod Poodles a 10-3 lead. The homer was his fourth of the year and Amarillo’s fourth of the game.

Ty Tice and Junior Garcia teamed up for a scoreless 8th and 9th, securing the Amarillo victory.

The Sod Poodles out-hit the RockHounds 16-7 and racked up 13 strikeouts. Drew Stankiewicz, Eduardo Diaz, and Andy Yerzy led the offense with three hits apiece, while Corbin Carroll and Nick Dalesandro both had two.

Amarillo will have a day off tomorrow before beginning a series against the Texas League South-leading Frisco RoughRiders (the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers) on Tuesday, June 7. Blake Walston is scheduled to pitch for Amarillo, setting up a duel with Frisco's Jack Leiter. Both are the No. 1 rated pitchers in their respective organizations.

Notes:

Pfaadt-tastic: RHP Brandon Pfaadt earned the win tonight after an excellent performance. He allowed two runs over 6.0 IP for his third quality start in a row, and tied his season-high with nine strikeouts. Arizona’s No. 10 prospect struck out six of the first seven batters, and his only blemish was a two-run home run in the 3rd. Amarillo’s ace picked up his third win of the year (3-3) and lowered his era to 3.86. Tonight was his 7th performance of the year with at least six strikeouts and three or fewer earned runs.

Back In The Saddle: 1B Leandro Cedeño broke open the scoring with a two-run home run in the 1st inning of tonight’s game. The homer was his 11th of the year and first since May 17. It also broke a recent cold stretch for the slugger, as he was just 3-for his last 37, dating back to the beginning of the previous series against the Arkansas Travelers. Cedeño went 1-for-4 in tonight’s game with three RBI.

Super Sluggers: OF Eduardo Diaz and SS Drew Stankiewicz powered the Amarillo offense tonight with two home runs, five runs scored, and four combined RBI. Diaz went 3-for-5 with two singles and a two-run home run, and Stankiewicz matched him with a double and a two-run homer in a 3-for-4 effort. Diaz took the team lead with his 36th RBI of the season and Stankiewicz has hit two homers in his last three games.

Quick Dalesandro: OF Nick Dalesandro stole two bases in a 2-for-5 effort tonight, giving him 12 steals on the year. Dalesandro has been a speed threat at every level of his baseball career and led all Arizona minor leaguers with 33 swipes in 2021. In his final year at Purdue University in 2018, he led all NCAA D1 catchers with 27 steals and ended his collegiate career with 41. The speedster was excellent this series, going 7-for-18 with a double, RBI, and three stolen bases.

Andy Yard-zy: 1B/C Andy Yerzy knocked a solo home run to lead off the 7th inning tonight, his fourth home run of the year. The Canada native had a great day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI. On the year, he's batting .246 with 14 RBI.

Light ‘Em Up: Amarillo blasted four home runs tonight en route to the victory. The quartet of long bombs was tied for the third-most in a game this season. They hit a season-high six home runs on May 8 against Midland and had five in the game before on May 7. Tonight’s performance was their first game with more than two home runs since May 17, when they had four against Tulsa.

Hitter’s Paradise: The Sod Poodles collected 16 hits as a team tonight, their 7th time recording 15 or more hits in a game this season. Amarillo improved to 4-3 when reaching the milestone, and they are a perfect 17-0 when out-hitting their opponent. Amarillo has now racked up 29 hits over the last two games of the series after 29 through the first four.

Series WINNERS: With the win, the Sod Poodles won the series against the RockHounds, 4-2. The series win was their second of the season, and they improved to 2-3-4 in series this season. The previous six-game series victory was over the San Antonio Missions from April 19-24, where Amarillo took four of six games at HODGETOWN.