Sod Poodles Drop Game One In San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas (May 23, 2023) – Amarillo dropped Tuesday's series opener against the Missions 14-4 in San Antonio in game one of the six-game series. The Sod Poodles collected eight hits and were paced by Ryan Bliss who tallied three hits in the loss.

An Amarillo leadoff triple was left standing 90-feet away from opening the night's scoring as the next three batters behind Bliss were each retired. The Missions ended up tacking on the first run of the night after consecutive one-out singles and a sac fly to deep left field was good enough for a 1-0 lead. The Missions' turn at bat was kept alive with a two-out walk issued by Sod Poodles right-hander Deyni Olivero. A pop out to A.J. Vukovich in left field helped strand two runners when the first came to an end.

San Antonio added another run with a three-hit bottom of the second inning. The first hit was quickly erased on a double play however a two-out double and single made it 2-0. The Missions added two more runs in the bottom of the third to extend their lead to 4-0.

The Sod Poodles left two more runners in scoring position stranded as the top of the fourth came to a close.

Adrian Del Castillo roped a leadoff double to kickstart Amarillo's fifth trip to the plate. With the next two batters retired, Bliss started a two-out rally and brought home the first Sod Poodles run of the game with a RBI single past the diving glove of the Missions' third baseman. Bliss then got active on the basepaths, stealing second before Jordan Lawlar could draw the two-out walk. They both then swiped bases, putting both in scoring position for Caleb Roberts. The lefty hitter rewarded both, bringing them both across the plate with a two-RBI single.

As quickly as they were able to trim the deficit to just one run, the Missions extended their lead back to five with a four run bottom of the fifth. The Missions managed just one hit, but capitalized on three walks and the third Amarillo error of the game. Their lead climbed to 11-3 before the Sod Poodles headed to the plate in the top of the seventh.

Three straight singles by Neyfy Castillo, Bliss, and Lawlar aided in scoring the fourth run of the game for the Sod Poodles.

San Antonio added three runs in their half of the seventh to make it a 14-4 game. The Missions were retired in order in the eighth inning with Nick Dalesandro on the mound. Amarillo was held to the same fate in the top of the ninth to close the scorebook on game one.

The series from Nelson Wolff Stadium continues on Wednesday as Right-Hander Jeff Bain gets the ball for his second start of the year. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

NOTES:

ONE BLISS, MULTIPLE HITS: Ryan Bliss tallied his 21st multi-hit game of the year after going 3-for-5 with a triple, two singles, and one RBI, and a run scored. His seventh three-hit game of the year is five more than the next closest Sod Poodle (A.J. Vukovich, 2) and has more three-hit games this year than he had in each of his last two seasons combined (5).Up to 59 hits on the year, the third-year-pro still sits atop the Texas League for hits, leading the next closest competitor, Frsico's Luisangel Acuña (50) by nine hits. The D-backs' no. 30 rated prospect also ranks first in the Texas League first in: AVG (.386), OPS (1.067), doubles (14), XBH (24), total bases (100), and runs scored (32).

Ex4: The Sod Poodles tied their season-high with four errors - a mark they last set on April 30 vs. Frisco. Jordan Lawlar was charged with two errors, making it the first time this year an Amarillo player had more than one miscue in a game. Amarillo is now 10-17 in games in which they have committed at least one error in the field. Amarillo currently ranks ninth in the Texas League in fielding, ahead of NW Arkansas.

NEW & OLD FRIENDS:Prior to tonight's game, the Sod Poodles added two players to the roster. Neyfy Castillo was reinstated from his stint on the injured list and chipped in with a 1-for-4 day at the plate with a run scored. Seth Beer was reinstated from the Development List and transferred to Amarillo. Beer, a former 1st round pick by Houston, and a player who has appeared in 43 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks, collected a hit in his Sod Poodles debut, going 1-for-4.

DOUBLE DEL CASTILLO: Adrian Del Castillo collected his fifth double of the year, leading off the top of the fifth. He was one of just two Sod Poodles to collect an XBH in the series opener, joining Ryan Bliss who started the game with a leadoff triple.

DELI CHEESE: In his third appearance on the mound, Sod Poodles outfielder Nick Dalesandro once again pitched a clean frame. In his previous two appearances, both just 0.1 IP, Dalesandro had collected a strikeout and a fly out. Tonight, in a full inning, Dalesandro induced two ground outs and a line out, giving him 1.2 IP this year without a hit surrendered as a position player. Dalesandro pitched some in college at Purdue, making seven appearances (4 starts) during the 2016 season.