Sod Poodles Drop Pitcher’s Duel In Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX – After a six-run comeback victory in last night’s game, the Sod Poodles were defeated 4-1 by the Corpus Christi Hooks on Wednesday night at Whataburger Field.

Sod Poodles’ starter Deyni Olivero dueled with Misael Tamarez of the Hooks, and the foes combined to allow just one hit through the first three innings. Corpus Christ got their first hit in the 3rd and clocked their first run in the 4th.

The opening run for the Hooks came with two outs in the bottom of the frame on a solo home run that just escaped the left-field wall. It was just the second hit that Olivero allowed after racking up five strikeouts in four innings.

Nick Dalesandro ended the no-hit bid for the Hooks in the 5th with a one-out single, and he scored to tie the game at one. He put himself in scoring position by stealing second and advanced to third on an error, and Andy Yerzy scored him on an RBI double. Yerzy then advanced to third on a wild pitch, but the Soddies left him stranded.

Olivero came back with another scoreless inning in the bottom of the 5th, and Dalesandro ended the frame by gunning down the runner trying to steal second.

The Hooks retook the lead with a run in the 6th. Both Olivero and Tamarez had allowed just two hits coming into the inning, but a walk and a standup triple with two outs put Corpus Christi back on top. The first out of the inning was recorded by Ti’Quan Forbes on a highlight diving grab and throw at third.

Olivero issued a walk after the triple, and he was relieved by Cam Booser with two outs and runners at the corners. With two on, Booser walked the first two batters he faced, giving the Hooks a 3-1 lead. A bases-loaded flyout sent the game to the 7th.

With the third earned run added on his line, Olivero fell just one out shy of logging his second consecutive quality start. He finished with 5.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, and 6 K, tying his season-low in hits and season-high in strikeouts.

The Sod Poodles put one on but didn’t threaten in the 7th, and Jeff Bain relieved Booser with a runner on and two outs in the bottom of the inning. Dalesandro caught another runner attempting to steal second to end the frame.

Corbin Caroll and Jorge Barrosa drew back-to-back walks with two outs in the 8th, but the potential tying runs were left on the bases. Corpus Christi increased their lead to 4-1 with a solo home run in the 8th off of Bain.

The Sod Poodles scored six runs in the 9th to win last night, but they went down 1-2-3 in tonight’s three-run loss. Dalesandro was the final batter and was rung up looking on a full count to end the game.

Amarillo will look to retake the series lead tomorrow, Thursday, June 23, with first pitch at 6:35 PM. RHP Brandon Pfaadt (4-4, 4.45 ERA) will start for the Sod Poodles, facing Corpus Christi’s RHP Jose Bravo (3-1, 5.36 ERA).

Notes:

Season High, Season Low: RHP Deyni Olivero turned one of the best starts of his Double-A career, finishing just one out shy of logging his second consecutive quality start. He finished with 5.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, and 6 K. He was relieved in the 6th with runners at the corners, and one came in to score. His three hits allowed tied his season-low, and his strikeout total tied his season-high. On the year, the Dominican Republic native is still searching for his first win and owns a 7.11 ERA.

Only I Can Steal: C Nick Dalesandro stole his 20th base of the season tonight and gunned down two runners trying to steal from behind the plate. He stole third in the 5th and came in to score, and caught a runner trying to steal second to end the 5th and 7th. The speed threat is now tied with Corbin Carroll for the team lead in steals. He led the Arizona organization with 33 steals in 2021 and only trails Wilderd Patino (Visalia, A, 34) this season. He also owns a .391 caught-stealing percentage, hosing nine of 23 runners.

H-Andy Man: 1B Andy Yerzy plated the lone run for Amarillo today with an RBI double in the 5thinning. He is now riding a brief four-game hitting streak, and the RBI was his third already in the series. Yerzy has drawn two walks and scored two runs in the previous four games. On the season, the native of Canada is batting .247 with five home runs and 22 RBI

Clean Defense: The Sod Poodles did not commit an error tonight for the second game in a row. Ti’Quan Forbes made a diving stop at third base in 6th and Nick Dalesandro caught two runners trying to steal second. On the year, Amarillo has committed 51 errors and their opponents have committed 60 against them.

Fun While It Lasted: OF Eduardo Diaz went 0-for-4 in tonight’s game, ending his hitting streak at nine games. It was his second-longest hitting streak this season (11, May 7-19) and tied for 5th-longest by a Sod Poodle this season. Over the nine-game stretch, he batted .282 (11-for-39) with six runs, six RBI, two doubles, four walks, and a stolen base.