Sod Poodles Fall Late Friday In Tulsa

Tulsa, Oklahoma – The Sod Poodles controlled most of the game but dropped Friday night's contest after an eighth-inning comeback by the Drillers.

For the first time all series, Amarillo plated the first run of the game. Corbin Carroll drew a leadoff walk and worked his way into scoring position on a wild pitch. A dropped third strike during Andy Yerzy's first at-bat of the game allowed Carroll to move to third and Yerzy to make his way aboard. Dominic Fletcher's team-leading 10th RBI of the series scored Carroll, giving Amarillo the early lead.

Arizona Diamondbacks' No. 11 rated prospect and right-hander Slade Cecconi got the ball for his second start of 2022. A two-base fielding error to start the night made it too easy for Tulsa to tie the game on a single slapped into right field during the next Driller at-bat. Carroll hosed down Dodgers' No. 4 prospect Andy Pages trying to stretch his single into a double for the first out. Each of the next two Driller hitters also reached base, making it a bit of a nervous first half inning for the former 33rd overall pick Cecconi. He worked out of the inning without any further harm done on a pair of fly-outs.

Jancarlos Cintron's first home run of the year with one out in the second inning put the Soddies back in front by a run.

Cecconi retired 12 of the next 13 Drillers he faced, capping off another strong start to his 2022 campaign. After not recording a strikeout in either of his first two innings of work Friday night, five of the final nine outs he was on the mound for came via his own right arm.

A second Soddies solo homer, this time Leandro Cedeño's second big fly of the year put Amarillo up by a run in the top of the sixth.

Pages led off the Drillers' home half with a double and advanced to third on a throwing error during the play. A few pitches later, he broke for home on a wild pitch that got past Juan Centeno behind the dish. A favorable bounce back to Centeno was just in time to tag out Pages, preserving the one-run lead for the time being.

The Sod Poodles went down in order in the seventh and eighth inning.

The Drillers were also retired 1-2-3 in the seventh but mounted their comeback in the eighth. A leadoff double, walk, and a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position. A few pitches later, the Drillers tied the game with a sac fly to left field. Then, a first-pitch opposite-field home run by Ryan Ward gave Tulsa their first lead of the night and the 4-3 advantage.

Amarillo was held hitless in the ninth as the Soddies and Drillers continued to trade wins during this current series. Neither team has managed to win consecutive games yet in this series.

The series will conclude tomorrow as part of a Saturday doubleheader from downtown Tulsa. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 4:30 with game two starting no earlier than 7:05 p.m. Right-hander and No. 7 rated farmhand Bryce Jarvis (0-0, 5.79 ERA) makes his second start of the year in game one. Left-hander Kenny Hernandez (0-1) will take the bump to close out the opening road trip of the year.

Notes:

*Carroll Continues: *The Arizona Diamondbacks' No. 2 rated prospect and No. 19 overall prospect (MLB Pipeline) continues his incredible start in Double-A. After playing just seven games with High-A Hillsboro in 2021, expectations were high for the former 16th overall selection in the 2019 MLB draft. The outfielder has far exceeded most expectations, hitting .385 with a 1.183 OPS through his first seven games with Amarillo. In just this series alone, Carroll is slashing .538/.684/.846/1.530 with a double, home run, five walks, three RBI, and three stolen bases. He has also made an impact defensively, throwing out a runner trying to turn a single into a double, and a sliding catch in foul territory a couple of nights ago.

Sladerade: Right-hander and D-backs' No. 11 rated prospect had it going in his second start for Double-A Amarillo. The right-hander had an unearned run come across early Friday night but responded very well. After seeing the first four Drillers he faced get a hit or end up on base, the former Hurricane retired 14 of the next 15 Tulsa hitters he faced - five via the strikeout. On the night, Cecconi allowed just two hits over five innings of work and had the five punchouts without an earned run surrendered. On the season, Cecconi ranks third in the Texas League with an ERA of 1.00, ranks 7th in WHIP at 0.78, and is T-9th with 11 strikeouts in his two games.

Big Flies From Two Guys: Leandro Cedeño and Jancarlos Cintron both added to the Sod Poodles offense with solo home runs on Friday night. Cintron, listed at 5´8¨/170, hit his first of the season while Cedeño, who is very much not that size, belted his second home run. Cintron hit .243 with eight home runs, 10 doubles, and 32 RBI in 72 games with the Sod Poodles last season. In 50 Double-A games including this season, Cedeño is hitting .265 with five home runs, five doubles, and 23 RBI.

RISP-Y Business: It was an uncharacteristic night for the Soddies offense Friday night against the Drillers. As a team, they went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position after entering the game hitting .328 (24-for-73) with nine XBH and 40 RBI in their first six games with RISP.