Thomas Nabs Three Hits In 8-1 Loss To Frisco

Sunday, July 25, 2021 vs Frisco RoughRiders [TEX]

Amarillo Sod Poodles (29-42) | Frisco RoughRiders (44-28)

Amarillo, Texas — The Amarillo Sod Poodles took a 1-0 lead in the third inning but were not able to manage any more runs as the Sod Poodles dropped their series finale to the Frisco RoughRiders 8-1 on Sunday evening. The loss drops the Soddies to 29-42 on the year.

Amarillo starter Luis Frias got through his first two innings without allowing a run. The D-backs' No. 9 rated prospect made his second start against Frisco in this series after starting Game 1 on Tuesday night.

Jancarlos Cintron led off the bottom of the second inning by drawing a walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch from Frisco starter Cole Ragans. Another walk with two outs placed two runners aboard for Amarillo but Cintron was picked off second, ending the bottom of the inning.

Frias struck out two of the three batters he faced in the third inning giving him four through his first three innings of work after tying his career-high with nine his last time out.

D-backs' No. 4 rated prospect Alek Thomas hit his Double-A leading seventh triple in the bottom of the third. On the sixth pitch of the at bat he sent the ball off the ribbon board in deep left-center field before hustling around the bases. Fellow outfielder and Top 30 Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Dominic Fletcher scored him with a sacrifice fly to left field as the Soddies took a 1-0 lead.

Frias retired the side in order in the fourth inning on two fly outs and a ground out, making it seven in a row after the single in the second inning.

After the Sod Poodles failed to reach base in the bottom of the fourth, Frias headed back to the mound. He struck out the leadoff man before allowing only the second Frisco hit of the game. The next batter reached on an error which proved costly with the next batter propelling the RoughRiders in front on a three-run home run. Frias was not yet out of the jam as the next two batters reached base on a pair of singles. The right-hander buckled down to get a ground out and strikeout of the Rangers top prospect to keep it a two run game.

Neither team produced a baserunner in their next at bats as the game headed to the bottom of the sixth. Thomas led off the inning with his third hit of the night, matching his season-high. He was taken off the base path on a fielder's choice with Amarillo unable to muster any runs in the inning.

The RoughRiders tacked on another three runs in the top of the seventh inning on an RBI double and two-run home run as Frias' night came to an end after six innings. Right-hander Matt Brill headed to the mound for his 12th appearance out of the Amarillo bullpen. He got through his first two batters before a solo home run extended the Frisco lead to 7-1.

Diamondbacks' No. 10 rated prospect Levi Kelly made his way to the mound in the top of the eighth after the Sod Poodles went down in order in the bottom of the seventh. Kelly made short work of his first inning, getting three outs in 13 pitches.

Jonah Girand picked up his first Double-A hit to leadoff the bottom of the eighth and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Two strikeouts and a ground out ended the Amarillo threat and kept it a six run advantage for Frisco.

The RoughRiders added to that lead on Anderson Tejeda's second home run of the game.He hit a two-run home run in the seventh and a solo shot in the top of the ninth.

Amarillo picked up their fifth hit of the game with a one-out single in the ninth. The next two batters were retired as Amarillo dropped the series finale to Frisco. The Sod Poodles are off tomorrow but will continue their 12-game homestand on Tuesday night. The San Antonio Missions will make their first ever trip to HODGETOWN.

Notes:

Frias' Go: Luis Frias made his 13th start of the year for Amarillo. The D-backs' No. 9 rated prospect tossed six innings, giving up six runs on eight hits including a pair of home runs. The eight hits tied a career-high, a number that he allowed in his last start on Tuesday in the series opener against these RoughRiders. He did retire seven via strikeouts, making it 16 over his last two starts. It also marked the third straight time he has gone at least 5.0 innings. Prior to his start in Midland on July 14th, he had only managed to go 5.0+ in one start since his Double-A debut on May 15th at Wichita.

Thomas The Three Hit Train: Alek Thomas tied his season-high picking up three hits in the loss. It marked the fifth time this season that Thomas had three hits in a single game. His career-high is five, which he managed on July 2, 2019 with Kane County against Peoria. One of three hits for Thomas was his Double-A leading 7th triple. His last triple came against San Antonio on July 8th. The Missions start a new series here on Tuesday night.

GirAND That's One: Sod Poodles catcher Jonah Girand picked up the first Double-A hit of his career with a single in the bottom of the eighth inning. This was Girand's fourth game played since he was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 1st.

Buddy's Streak Lives On: With a single in the bottom of the ninth inning, infielder Buddy Kennedy extended his current hit streak to seven games. Over these last seven, Kennedy is hitting .393 (11-for-28) with a double, triple, two home runs, and five RBI. The Millville, NJ native has hits in 10 of his last 11 games with two three-hit games sprinkled in there.

Pen Notes: Right-handers Matt Brill and Levi Kelly each made an appearance out of the bullpen for the Sod Poodles in Sunday's series finale. Brill tossed an inning where he gave up a solo home run as his only hit to Rangers top prospect Josh Jung. Kelly also allowed just one run on a solo homer to Rangers No. 10 rated prospect Anderson Tejeda in the top of the ninth. Each picked up a strikeout while not issuing a walk.