Sod Poodles Win Rainy Showdown

Amarillo, TX – The rain came and went on Wednesday night at HODGETOWN, but the Sod Poodles (22-25) scored four runs in the 7th inning to claim a 5-3 victory over the Midland RockHounds (21-26).

LHP Blake Walston (0-2, 10.13 ERA) started the first game of June for Amarillo, and the RockHounds pounced early with a run in the 1st inning. A single and a double put two runners in scoring position and a fielder’s choice plated the first run of the game.

Walston bounced back in excellent fashion and turned in his best start so far in Double-A. He allowed two hits and three walks over the next three scoreless innings and finished with a line of 4.0 IP, 5 H, R, ER, 4 BB, and 3 K on 81 pitches. The lone earned run was the fewest allowed this season by Arizona’s No. 4 prospect.

Josh Green relieved Walston in the 5th and tossed two scoreless innings. Midland led off the 6th with a single but the Amarillo defense turned a double play. The next three batters reached to load the bases, but a groundout kept it a one-run game.

The Sod Poodles saw five baserunners reach over the first five innings, but a pair of double plays and three inning-ending strikeouts held them scoreless. The offense finally broke through in the bottom of the 6th, plating one to tie the game. Jorge Barrosa doubled, Eduardo Diaz drew a walk, and Ti’Quan Forbes came through with an RBI single to plate Barrosa.

Cam Booser entered the game in the 7th inning and relinquished the lead on a solo home run. Trailing in the 7th for the second game in a row, the Amarillo offense responded once again with late-inning action to reclaim the lead.

The first three batters of the inning reached to load the bases with no outs; Andy Yerzy singled, Elvis Peralta drew a walk, and Nick Dalesandro singled as well. Arizona’s No. 1 prospect, Corbin Carroll, entered the batter’s box with the bases juiced and plated two runs on an RBI double down the right-field line. Dalesandro then scored on a wild pitch, and Leandro Cedeño made it 5-2 with a sacrifice fly.

Booser allowed a runner to reach scoring position in the 8th but did not allow a run. Blaze Alexander was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the inning and advanced to third after two stolen bases but did not reach home either.

Jeff Bain entered the game in the top of the 9th with a three-run lead. The first two RockHounds singled and he struck out the next batter for the first out. Another single loaded the bases and a sacrifice fly made it 5-3. The final batter grounded out with two runners on to end the game.

Amarillo has now won both of the first two games in a series for the first time since May 3rd and 4th against Midland. The Sod Poodles have also been out-hit in both wins of the series, tonight by an 11-8 margin. Carroll led the way on offense with two hits and two RBI. The Sod Poodles pitching staff was clutch when it counted, forcing Midland to go 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position as they stranded 12.

The Oil Pan Cup rivals will meet for game three tomorrow, Thursday, June 2 at HODGETOWN with first pitch at 7:05 PM. RHP Slade Cecconi (2-2, 5.27 ERA) will start for Amarillo to face Midland’s RHP Ryan Cusick (1-5, 8.13 ERA).

Notes:

Just No. 1 Prospect Things: OF Corbin Carroll led the Sod Poodles offense tonight with two hits and two RBI in a 2-for-4 effort. With no outs and the bases loaded in the 7th inning, he chopped an RBI double down the right-field line that scored two and gave Amarillo their first lead of the game, 3-2. He also led off the game with a single in the bottom of the 1st. The multi-hit performance was a welcome sight for the former first-round pick, as he was 0-for his last 18 coming into tonight’s game.

Tie-Quan Forbes: For the second game in a row, 3B Ti’Quan Forbes tied the game in the 6th inning or later. On Tuesday, he tied the game in the 7th inning with a solo home run to left field. Tonight, he tied the game with an RBI single in the 6th inning, Amarillo’s first run of the game. Forbes has been productive over his last week of baseball, with four runs scored and three RBI in that span. He is currently riding a four-game hitting streak with an RBI in each of those games.

Wolf Of Wal(ston) Street: LHP Blake Walston turned in his best performance of the season as a Sod Poodle tonight. He allowed a run in the top of the 1st but bounced back cleanly for a final line of 4.0 IP, 5 H, R, ER, 4 BB, and 3 K. He is still winless through his first five Double-A starts, but tonight’s effort was his fewest runs allowed in a game this year. Walston currently ranks as the No. 4 prospect in the Diamondbacks’ system and No. 91 in all of major league baseball. Through five starts, the southpaw is 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA.

Blaze-ing Fast: SS Blaze Alexander stole two bases tonight, giving him seven steals on the year. He was hit by a pitch in the 7th inning and promptly stole second and third but was left stranded on the bases. The speedy infielder has now stolen 48 bases in his young minor league career, with three swipes in his last four games. He also singled tonight in his first at-bat, extending his team-leading on-base streak to 11 games.

Life In The Fast Bain: RHP Jeff Bain has been excellent for Amarillo over the past month and a half and was rewarded tonight with his second save opportunity of the season. He allowed one run to score on a sacrifice fly, but locked up the 5-3 win for the Sod Poodles and earned his first save of 2022. Bain was exceptional in the month of May, racking up a 1.13 ERA with seven strikeouts in eight appearances. Tonight was also just the second earned run he has allowed since April 22 and was the second save of his minor league career.

Oil Pan Cup: With the win, the Sod Poodles took a 6-5 lead in the 2022 race for the Oil Pan Cup. The two teams have each won the cup once by securing the season head-to-head record, and Amarillo currently leads this year's showdown with 13 games to play.

Welcome To The Squad: INF Elvis Peralta made his Sod Poodles debut tonight, drawing a walk and scoring a run in an 0-for-3 effort. The former Oakland Athletics prospect was signed by the Diamondbacks on Monday after playing in three games for Oakland's Triple-A affiliate this season. In his three-year minor league career, Peralta owns a .239 AVG with two home runs, 39 RBI, and 27 stolen bases.