Sod Poodles Fall 6-2 in Series Opener In Frisco

Frisco, Texas – Each team managed to score in just two innings on Tuesday night. The Frisco RoughRiders made the most of theirs as they topped the Sod Poodles 6-2 to kick off the series against the Texas Rangers Double-A affiliate from Riders Field.

After retiring the Riders in order on just seven pitches in the top of the first inning, Deyni Olivero ran into some trouble in the second. The right-hander saw two singles reach base ahead of a strikeout for the second out of the frame. A two-out, three-run home run hit to left field made it a 3-0 game with the Riders striking first.

Jorge Barrosa singled and advanced to second base on a balk with two out in the third inning. The first runner to make it into scoring position for Amarillo was left stranded as Tristin English struck out to end the Sod Poodles threat.

The tough second inning for Olivero appeared to be a small blip after he had not allowed a single base runner or hit in his other three innings on the mound entering the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff walk brought an end to that small streak. The Riders strung together three more hits including a 2-RBI triple to extend their lead to six runs.

Leandro Cedeño spoiled the Riders' shutout bid in the top of the sixth inning with a leadoff home run, his 22nd of the season. The slugging first baseman jumped on a 2-2 pitch and took it over the right-center field wall. Deyni Olivero's night came to an end to start the bottom of the sixth as fellow right-hander Brent Teller took over. A strikeout and double play helped get out of the frame without any more damage as Teller and the defense worked around a pair of RoughRider singles.

Someone get T-Swizzle on the phone cause @learcedeo is feeling 2⃣2⃣ pic.twitter.com/GrCTUHr21I

— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) August 3, 2022

Amarillo crept a little closer, scoring another run thanks in part to two Frisco errors in the top of the 7th. Drew Stankiewicz was the first to reach via error and would later score after a walk and the second error of the inning. Frisco's own double play ended the inning and kept it at a four-run Amarillo deficit for heading to the final two innings.

Jake Rice made his 13th appearance for the Sod Poodles and pitched a scoreless 8th inning where he struck out two and issued one walk.

The Sod Poodles pieced together two singles in the ninth with two-outs but failed to bring either home as they dropped the opening game of the series to the RoughRiders.

The six-game set from the metroplex continues on Wednesday when RHP and D-backs' No. 7 rated prospect, Bryce Jarvis takes the mound for Amarillo. First pitch from Riders Field is scheduled for 7:05 pm.

Notes:

T-Swift Vibes: Soddies slugger Leandro Cedeno blasted his 22nd home run of the season to get the Sod Poodles on the board Tuesday night. His solo home run represented RBI number 69 on the year, tied for second currently in the Texas League, behind newly minted Texas League Player of the Week, Justin Dirden (Corpus Christi Hooks). His 22 home runs are third most in the League, three behind current leader, Ryan Ward of the Tulsa Drillers. Cedeno opened the series with a 2-for-4 performance.

Not Our Dey: Soddies starter, fresh off his first win in over 1,000 days will have to wait for his second at least another four days. The D.R. native pitched solid in the series opener aside from two innings. The right-hander allowed three hits and three earned runs in the second inning including a three-run home run for the first runs of the game. He then pitched a perfect third and fourth innings for Amarillo. Three more runs on the same number of hits in the 5th propelled the Riders to a six-run lead. Olivero's night came to an end after 5.0 IP and 6 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.

Bull-Shutdown: The pair of Brent Teller and Jake Rice combined for three shutout innings with five strikeouts, two hits, and a walk issued in relief of Olivero. In 5.2 IP in three appearances since being activated off the Development List, Teller has allowed one earned run on six hits with eight strikeouts. Rice spun his sixth scoreless appearance in his 13th since being promoted to Double-A back on May 24.

13+16=Fire Emoji: Sod Poodles outfielder extended his active hitting streak to a Double-A best 16 games with a 3-for-4 night at the plate. The first-year pro is hitting .406 (26-for-64) with five doubles, a triple, a home run, and 10 RBI during this span dating back to July 6. The streak is the second-longest streak by a Sod Poodle player this year, and now the third-longest in franchise history. At 16 games, it's the seventh-longest streak in Double-A this season. His three hits on Tuesday night were the most in a single game during his hot streak and the 9th multi-hit game in the span.

On-Base Machine: OF Jorge Barrosa reached base safely all five times he stepped into the box in the series opener. Barrosa went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and drew three walks on the night. Since the return from the All-Star Break, Barrosa has an OBP of .636 and an OPS of 1.379. The switch-hitting outfielder is batting .543 (19-for-35) with nine walks in 10 games. He is riding a 10-game hit streak with five multi-hit games over the span.

Out-Hit / Lost: For just the fourth time this season, the Sod Poodles dropped a game in which they out-hit their opponent. The Double-A leaders in hits (932) collected nine hits in a losing effort on Tuesday night. Amarillo falls to 35-4 when out-hitting their opponents in 2022.