Timely Rain Delay Helps Soddies Split In Wichita

WICHITA, Kansas – A 45-minute rain delay in the eighth inning plus a three-run ninth gave the Sod Poodles the 7-4 win in Sunday's afternoon matinee at Riverfront Stadium. The Soddies conclude their opening 12-game road trip with a series win over Tulsa and a series split with the Wind Surge.

For the fourth time in this series, the Sod Poodles were the ones to put the first run on the scoreboard. D-backs' No. 30 ranked prospect Jake McCarthy doubled into the right-center field gap allowing Geraldo Perdomo to use his plus-speed scoring all the way from first after drawing a walk. McCarthy stole third before scoring on a sac-fly into center field, taking a 2-0 lead.

As was the case in the opening game of the series and game three, Wichita saw the Sod Poodles put up multiple runs in the top half of the inning just to match it in the home half. This time, a two-run home run from Wind Surge third baseman Jose Miranda tied the game after three innings.

left-hander Tommy Henry made his second start in this series for the Soddies after throwing 4.1 IP and allowing two runs on four hits in the series-opening 3-2 win on May 11. Henry was magnificent once again, this time tossing six innings where he allowed just two runs on three hits and striking out five. The D-backs' No. 12 ranked prospect has now set a career-high in innings and strikeouts after today's performance.

After a leadoff single from Luis Basabe, back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Amarillo with no outs in the top of the fifth. McCarthy roped a ball up the first base line that took a rough hop on the first baseman, allowing two runs to score and giving the Soddies back their two-run lead.

Right-hander Luis Castillo struck out two without allowing a hit in his lone inning after replacing Henry to begin the seventh.

The Wind Surge used two-doubles and a single to knot things up at four a piece, once again making things tight late in the game before the heavy rain began to fall.

When play finally resumed, Matt Gage struck out the only batter he faced, leaving Wichita's go-ahead run stranded on second base.

Basabe once again started another Sod Poodles rally with a leadoff walk in the ninth. A single followed by a sac-bunt put two runners in scoring position for McCarthy. With the infield in, another hard hit ball made its way into the outfield, scoring the go-ahead runs. The Sod Poodles added another insurance to put themselves ahead 7-4.

Edgar Arredondo was given the ball in the ninth inning to close out the win and he did exactly that. He retired the side in order with one strikeout to seal the victory. Arredondo picked up the third save of his career and first since June 30, 2018 when he was with Frisco.

The Sod Poodles will now head back to Amarillo for the teams' home opener on Tuesday, May 18 vs. Midland. Gates will open at 6 PM with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM.

NOTES:

Amarillo By Morning: The Sod Poodles concluded their opening 12-game road trip with a series win over Tulsa and splitting their series with the Wind Surge. Today's win guaranteed the Soddies will return to HODGETOWN for Tuesday's home opener with a winning record at 7-5.

Six, Three, Duece, Duece, One, Fiver: Sod Poodles left-hander Tommy Henry had another solid outing in his third start of the season. Henry's six innings were the most of his young career after tossing just one inning in all three of his starts for Hillsboro in 2019. This season he went 1.1 IP, 4,1, and 6.0 IP in his respective starts. His five strikeouts also set a season & career-high.

Backs Against The Wall: After dropping three-straight games in the middle of this series, the Sod Poodles were able to win games five and six and earn the series split. Amarillo also won games five and six at Tulsa to win that series 4-2.

Tarp? Tarp!: The Sod Poodles experienced their first rain delay of the season in the 8th inning of today's game. However, it was not the first delay of the season as that came on May7 at Tulsa for a drone delay that lasted 14 minutes.

Not Again: Amarillo entered the eighth inning with a lead much like they had in game three when they were up 7-6. Wichita scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth in that game to take a 9-7 lead and eventually won 9-8. Today, the Wind Surge scored two runs to tie the game before the tarp pull put a pause in the momentum they had gained.

The Electric City: Scranton, PA native Jake McCarthy put the ball into play multiple times helping score five of the teams' seven runs. The D-backs' No. 30 ranked prospect hit a double in the third inning that scored Perdomo and scorched another ball past the first baseman, scoring two more in the fifth. In the ninth, he hit another ball hard with the infield playing in that got past the Wind Surge shortstop. His two-RBI performance today was the second multi-RBI game of the season. He also drove in two runs in the Sod Poodles 12-3 loss on May 7 at Tulsa. McCarthy also added a team-high three stolen bases today.

Zero Gage: Soddies right-hander Matt Gage made his fourth appearance of the season today, coming onto the field as the tarp was being pulled. Gage, who has not allowed a run so far this season entered today's game with runners on first and second before striking out the only batter he faced in the eighth. He has now gone 6.2 IP without allowing a run on just four hits.

Upcoming Series: The Sod Poodles will face the Midland Rockhounds, Double-A Affiliate of the Oakland A's in a six-game series beginning on May 18.