Sod Poodles Clinch Oil Pan Cup

MIDLAND, Texas - The Amarillo Sod Poodles clinched the season series against the Midland RockHounds with a 9-1 victory on Tuesday night to win the 2022 Oil Pan Cup. The Sod Poodle offense exploded for 20 hits to claim the team’s second Cup in three seasons.

The hitting began in the 1st for Amarillo but they couldn’t score off a pair of singles. Midland struck the scoreboard first with a run in the bottom of the inning on a two-out double and RBI single.

Amarillo took the lead with a pair of runs in the 3rd, their first of four-consecutive innings with a run scored. Andy Yerzy led off the inning with a hit and a pair of two-out singles made it 1-1. The Sod Poodles then took the lead on a wild pitch with Leandro Cedeño scoring from 3rd.

After allowing a run in the 1st, Sod Poodles’ starter Ross Carver (1-2) cruised through the rest of his outing. He allowed just four hits over his next five scoreless innings of work and was aided by strong defense with eight groundouts and five flyouts.

Roby Enriquez led off the top of the 4th with a double for the Soddies and Tim Tawa singled to put runners at the corners. Juan Centeno made it 3-1 Amarillo with an RBI single to left field, but he was left stranded after stealing second base.

The Sod Poodles followed their three-hit 4th with a four-hit 5th to score another run. Cedeño and Tristin English led off the frame with singles and Alexander plated one with an RBI single. The inning ended with two on, two of Amarillo’s 11 runners left on base in the contest.

The top of the 5th ended with a highlight play by Roby Enriquez in right field, throwing out Zack Gelof at home plate. He charged a shallow pop fly and couldn’t make the sliding catch, but scrambled to his feet and caught the runner in time to keep a run off the board.

Amarillo made it a five-run game with three more hits in the 6th, their fourth inning in a row with multiple hits. Jorge Barrosa made it to second on a base hit and a stolen base, and two runs were scored on back-to-back singles by Eduardo Diaz and Cedeño. Carver retired the side in order on eight pitches in the bottom of the frame.

Jake Rice entered in relief in the bottom of the 7th, ending Carver’s night at an excellent 6.0 IP, 6 H, ER, 2 BB, and 2 K. It was the first win and quality start in his Double-A career. Rice walked one but pitched a scoreless inning.

The Soddies picked up their 20th hit of the game and made it 9-1 with three runs in the 8th. Barrosa led off the inning with a double and was scored on a Diaz RBI single, and Cedeño added two more with a two-run homer to right field. It capped a 5-for-5 night for Cedeño, who extended his team-leading totals of 25 home runs, 77 RBI, and 115 hits.

Andrew Saalfrank and Josh Green teamed up to close out the game for Amarillo. Amarillo out-hit Midland 20-6 and has won three in a row to start the series. The Sod Poodles (22-20) are now three games behind the RockHounds (25-17) in the Texas League South second-half standings.

Notes:

Oil Pan Cup Champs!: The Sod Poodles clinched the season series against the RockHounds tonight to win their second Oil Pan Cup in franchise history. Amarillo is 13-8 against Midland this year with just three games remaining in their head-to-head schedule. The Sod Poodles have reclaimed the cup since winning it 17-12 in their inaugural season. The RockHounds enjoyed brief custody with a 13-11 head-to-head record in 2021. With three games remaining in the series, the Sod Poodles (22-20) are only three games behind the Hounds (25-17) in the Texas League South second-half standings.

*Carve ‘Em Up: *RHP Ross Carver earned turned in his first quality start at the Double-A level and earned his first win after six innings of one-run ball. He allowed six hits and two walks with two punchouts on 80 pitches, retiring 18 of the 24 batters he faced. Arizona’s No. 25 prospect is now 1-2 on the year with a 9.37 ERA. It was his first win since June 16 when he was with the High-A Hillsboro Hops.

Record-Setting Slugger: 1B Leandro Cedeño set a new career-high with five hits tonight in a 5-for-5 performance and tied the Sod Poodles’ single-season franchise record with his 25th home run of the year. He collected four singles and a homer, surpassing his previous high of four hits which he accomplished four times across his six-year career. He tied the franchise-record 25 homers Stone Garrett hit in 2021, and hit the mark in nine fewer games (Garrett – 103, Cedeño – 95). The power-hitting first baseman ranks second in the Texas League (Ryan Ward, 27) and the Arizona farm system (Garrett, 28) in total home runs this season and leads the Sod Poodles in RBI (77) and hits (115).

Make It Rain Andrew Jacksons: The Sod Poodles collected 20 hits tonight, just shy of their season-high 21 from April 19 against San Antonio. Leandro Cedeño led the way with five, Jorge Barrosa went 3-for-6, while Blaze Alexander, Juan Centeno, Eduardo Diaz, Tristin English, and Tim Tawa each collected two hits. Every Sod Poodle starter collected a hit for the second night in a row, and Amarillo is now 10-2 when eclipsing the 15-hit milestone.

Got That Dawg In ‘Em: The Amarillo bullpen combined for three innings of hitless baseball tonight. After Ross Carver’s quality start (6.0 IP, ER, 2 K), Jake Rice walked one in the 7th, Andrew Saalfrank walked one in the 8th, and Josh Green retired the side in the 9th. The Sod Poodles bullpen has combined to allow just three hits over its last 10.1 IP with 11 strikeouts and three walks in that span.