Six-Run Sixth Springs Amarillo to Victory

Springfied, MO – The Sod Poodles had trailed into the sixth inning of Wednesday's morning start against the Springfield Cardinals from Hammons Field. A barrage of seven hits and six runs, highlighted by a Jancarlos Cintron home run provided all the runs the team would need to tie the series at a game apiece by the conclusion of the inning.

The two teams traded early blows with the Cardinals taking a 1-0 lead with a two-out, solo home run from top-ranked Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker. The Soddies answered right back, tying the game with a RBI sac fly to score outfielder Dominic Fletcher who extended his Double-A leading hit streak to 16 games with a leadoff single in the second inning.

Springfield regained their advantage after scoring three runs in the bottom of the third inning. The game would remain a 3-1 stalemate until the sixth thanks to some shutdown pitching from Sod Poodles' right-hander Ryan Weiss and the rest of the Sod Poodles' bullpen. Weiss fired 2.1 innings of hitless baseball for Amarillo with a season-high five strikeouts and did not issue a walk.

With the game still at 3-1, the Soddies rattled off four straight singles to start the sixth and tie the game. The spurt also helped chase Cardinals' starter, Domingo Robles, with no outs in the inning. Amarillo took their first lead of the game on a RBI double off the bat of Ti'Quan Forbes, scoring Leandro Cedeño all the way from first base. The Sod Poodles seventh hit of the inning was Jancarlos Cintrons' fourth home run of the year. The inning ended with the man who started the big frame, Drew Stankiewicz, flying to shallow left field. The seven-hit inning tied the most hits in a single inning for Amarillo this season, now marking the third time they have notched seven hits in a single frame.

The Soddies added runs in each of the final two innings, capping off the scoring on a Cedeño solo shot with two outs in the ninth.

Weiss (1-0) picked up his first win this season and first since August 1, 2021 with Triple-A Reno. Junior Garcia and Blake Workman had mop-up duty, holding Springfield hitless along with Weiss over the final 4+ innings.

The two will meet in game three tomorrow night, the first night game of the series so far. Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (1-2, 4.38 ERA) gets the ball for Amarillo against his counterpart, Edgar Escobar (2-1, 6.23 ERA). Fist pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM CT. Fans can watch the action on MiLB.TV or by listening to Chris and Stefan Caray on the Sod Poodles Radio Network on News Talk 940 AM.

Notes

*Power (Sod) Poodles: *With another two home runs today, the Sod Poodles have now hit 53 home runs in their 29 games. The team leads the Texas League and had hit 12 more than their next closest TL competitors, the Tulsa Drillers. Even better, the team ranks third in all of Minor League Baseball, two behind the leaders after Wednesday's morning matinee. The team's .309 batting average leads all 120 minor league teams while also ranking second in Doubles (63). Their OPS of .911 is 71 points higher than the next closest team (Midland, .840).

Hello Old Friend: Sod Poodles 1B Leandro Cedeño played 19 games with Springfield to end the 2021 season, including being teammates with right-hander Grant Black, who he hit his home run off of in the ninth inning. Cedeño is hitting .391 in 22 games to start the season with Amarillo. His .391 AVG leads the D-backs' organization, ranks second in all Double-A, and fifth in all MiLB.

A Touchdown: The Sod Poodles seven-hit sixth inning marked the third time the team had a seven-hit inning this year. The last time came on April 23 against San Antonio.

Weiss & Easy: Right-hander Ryan Weiss tossed a very easy 2.1 IP where he didn't allow a single base runner over his time on the mound. He retired all seven batters he faced with a season-high five strikeouts in a winning effort. It was Weiss' first win since August 1, 2021 when he was with Triple-A Reno. Weiss began the season last with Reno before climbing to Reno and being placed on the D-backs' 40-man roster. He is the only current Sod Poodle on the 40-man.

Not An Arm-Barn Burner: The Sod Poodles bullpen didn't allow a single Cardinals base runner over the final 4.1 IP. Right-hander Blake Workman fired his sixth-straight scoreless appearance out of the ol' Amarillo Arm Barn. In fact, over his last 9.0 IP, Workman has allowed just three hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts and has dropped his season ERA to a team-best 1.88 ERA over his 14.1 total innings.

*16 Straight: *Outfielder Dominic Fletcher extended his current hit streak to a career-high 16 games after another two-hit performance on Wednesday. Over the span, Fletcher has recorded six multi-hit games and is hitting .368 with six home runs and 20 RBI. His streak is the second-longest active streak in the minors with Leody Tavares (Triple-A Round Rock, TEX) having the night off.