Sod Poodles Take Rain-Shortened Affair

AMARILLO – Ryne Nelson struck out 12 over five innings while Alek Thomas and Stone Garrett hit home runs, leading Amarillo to a 3-1 victory over the Hooks in seven innings before an announced crowd of 4,726 at Hodgetown.

A nearly two-hour rain delay prompted the condensed contest.

Nelson labored in the first, throwing 33 pitches, but managed to escape unscathed by stranding the bases loaded. The former Oregon Duck had retired 12 of 14 batters before Joe Perez blasted a home run to right field in the fifth to put the Hooks on the board at 3-1.

Perez, celebrating his 22nd birthday, fell a triple shy of the cycle for the second consecutive game. He is now 8-for-14 with three doubles and two home runs in the series.

Amarillo jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a lead-off home run by Thomas in the first and a two-run dinger by Garrett in the fourth.

Garrett cracked hit two homers Wednesday night.

Jonathan Bermudez, who allowed two home runs in a game for the first time this year, struck out five over 4 2/3 frames. Felipe Tejada worked 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Corpus Christi staged a two-out rally in the seventh, placing the tying runs in scoring position, but Blake Rogers finished the game with a strikeout to notch his fourth save.

The Hooks, who have won seven of their 10, look to bounce back Friday night with Tyler Brown on the bump. First pitch 7:05.