Sod Poodles Top Riders With 11-Run Outburst

Amarillo, Texas (April 29, 2023) – The Amarillo Sod Poodles mashed 12 hits on Saturday night in route to an 11-4 win over the Frisco RoughRiders and took the lead in their six-game set, 3-2.

After RHP Deyni Olivero dealt a scoreless top half, the Soddies tallied four in the first. A lead-off double from Ryan Bliss sparked the flame for Amarillo which was trailed with another two-bagger that drove in Bliss off the bat of Adrian Del Castillo. An A.J. Vukovich single and a Tim Tawa nuke over the right field wall brought the remaining Soddies home for an early four spot.

Another shutout inning on the hill from Olivero and an Amarillo score was the theme of the second inning. Ryan Bliss drew a two-out walk which Jordan Lawlar responded to with a stand-up triple, the first of his Double-A career.

The RoughRiders found themselves on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. A lead-off double and a two-run shot reeled in the lead to just three runs.

Before Amarillo could pile on more, the Riders tallied another pair of runs in the top of the fifth, bringing the score to 5-4.

Amarillo worked another man around the bases in the home frame. A one-out walk drawn by Lawlar and a swiped bag transformed him into a scoring threat. Tristin English got his moment, driving in Lawlar with a base hit for his 250th career knock.

Olivero's reign came to a close after the fifth who was relieved by LHP Andrew Saalfrank. Olivero tossed 5.0 IP with four earned on seven hits and two walks while dealing five strikeouts.

Saalfrank shoved two scoreless innings, conceding just one hit and four walks while fanning four, setting the table for an Amarillo slugfest in the bottom of the seventh.

Roby Enriquez got the momentum shifted with a lead-off walk. Bliss's second two-bagger of the game was good to score Enriquez and trigger a pitching change from Frisco.

Following the call to the 'pen, Lawlar drew a walk and was the tail component of a double-steal to give Amarillo two more ducks on the pond. English pulled a ball on the ground into left to drive in both runners. A stolen base from English and an A.J. Vukovich RBI single earned the Soddies their 10th score of the night.

A hitless top of the eighth followed thanks to a strong outing from Backhus, bringing the Soddies back up to the dish in the home frame. Jonathan Guzman slapped a ball into the outfield to plate Centeno and give Amarillo a seven spot over the Riders.

Backhus slammed the door shut on Frisco and secured the series lead for Amarillo who gained the edge, 3-2.

The Soddies will be back at HODGETOWN tomorrow afternoon with RHP Marcos Tineo riding the bump for his second career Double-A start. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

NOTES:

TRISTIN IS THE TRUTH: 1B Tristin English went 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored, logging his 250th career hit in the process. English has earned a hit in 15 out of his first 16 games this year. The Georgia Tech alum successfully extended his hit streak to 10 games which is good for tied-first in the Texas League for the longest active hit streak streak with his club-best 16 game on-base streak coming in second. At the time of the final out, English's three-RBI night placed him tied third for RBI across all qualified Diamondbacks minor leaguers while also tying eighth for hits (19) and OBP (.429), seventh for doubles (5), sixth for total bases (39) and fourth for XBH (10).

DOUBLE-DOUBLE: 2B Ryan Bliss went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI and three runs. The Former Auburn Tiger is posting the highest batting average (.410, 34-for-83) in the Texas League which ranks second in the D-backs farm system. The righty's two doubles tonight additionally moved him up the charts to tied third in the organization with 12. Dating back to 8/4/2022 with Hillsboro, Bliss has failed to hit in a contest just five times in 40 games, swatting 13 doubles, four triples and six nukes over the stretch and logging 19 multi-hit performances. This was just his second multi-XBH night over that date range with both being earned at HODGETOWN during the campaign and coming as a pair of doubles.

THREE'S A COMPANY: CF Tim Tawa went 1-for-4 with a three-run first inning bomb, three RBI and a run scored. The Stanford alum is 3-for-his-last-eight in the past two games with a home run, five RBI, and a run scored after going through a 2-for-32 slump from 4/15-4/26. This was the righty's first three RBI night since he racked up as many on 7/24/2022 against the Midland RockHounds. Additionally, he went 10 contests without homering before tonight's bomb.

YO, RUN THAT BACKHUS: LHP Kyle Backhus tossed 2.0 hitless frames and allowed just one walk while fanning four. The southpaw effectively extended his no-earned run streak to 6.2 innings that spans six games while posting five-straight without allowing one, good for tied sixth in the Texas League for consecutive no-earned run games. He hasn't posted at least four punchies in a 2.0 IP outing since he punched out five in the same number of IP on 8/3/2022 with Hillsboro. Dating back to 9/7/2022, Backhus has allowed just one run in 11 games (14.0 IP), good for a 0.64 ERA across the stretch.

JUST DREW IT: LHP Andrew Saalfrank tossed 2.0 scoreless innings of relief while allowing just one hit and walking four with as many strikeouts. The lefty has held his opponent to no earned runs five times in seven games this season and dating back to 7/2/2022, he has done so 16 times in 25 relief appearances while fanning 52 batters in 37.2 IP, good for a 12.58 K/9. Among dedicated bullpen arms on the club, Saalfrank is tied second for the most innings pitched this season.