Sod Poodles Storm Back, Fall To RoughRiders
Amarillo, TX – A comeback for the ages came up just short on Saturday night in front of yet another sellout crowd in Downtown Amarillo. The Sod Poodles plated a franchise-high 11 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and sent the potential tying run to the plate before
Amarillo, TX – A comeback for the ages came up just short on Saturday night in front of yet another sellout crowd in Downtown Amarillo. The Sod Poodles plated a franchise-high 11 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and sent the potential tying run to the plate before eventually falling to the Texas Rangers' Double-A affiliate by a score of 16-12.
The RoughRiders jumped on the Sod Poodles and starter Brandon Pfaadt with two quick runs in the top of the first. Pfaadt looked poised to work around it, getting two quick outs including the first strikeout of the night for the organizational leader in punchouts. The Frisco cleanup batter had different plans, hitting a two-run home to take the lead early.
Frisco scored three more runs in the second and two in the fourth for a 7-0 lead. The Rangers had their own highly-rated prospect on the hill on Saturday night in left-hander Cody Bradford. The 6th round pick in the 2019 draft and Aledo, Texas native fired 5.2 scoreless innings and allowed just five hits and struck out eight.
Another big offensive inning by the RoughRiders extended the lead to 12-0 in the sixth. Included in the inning was RoughRiders' third baseman Trey Hair making some franchise history by hitting a home run in five straight games.
The lead got to 13 after a triple and ground-out RBI in the top of the eighth and then the fun began.
AN 11 RUN INNING
— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) June 12, 2022
Folks, we're within two. pic.twitter.com/byG9tynX4U
The inning started with a Jorge Barrosa walk. A subsequent single and walk loaded the bases before the Sod Poodles scored their first run of the game, a RBI bases-loaded walk drawn by Nick Dalesandro. A second walk and run scored induced a pitching change but did not stop the momentum the Soddies had started to build. A strikeout put two outs on the board but sent Drew Stankiewicz to the dish.
A bases-clearing double was the first of six Amarillo hits with two outs in the bottom of the 8th. The inning included an extra-base hit off the bat of Barrosa who had started the inning with his walk. In total the inning saw 15 batters come to the plate and ended with a franchise-high 11 runs in the frame.
Down by two, the Soddies made a pitching change of their own. A hit batter began the inning with a flyout sprinkled in between the RoughRiders seventh home run of the night, extending their lead to five runs.
After fighting back in the eighth, Amarillo was resilient once more in the ninth. Three straight one-out singles loaded the bases for Lyle Lin who had come in to replace Leandro Cedeño who appeared to sustain an injury legging out a single turned one base error in the previous inning. Lin put a jolt into the crowd, coming up just shy of the left-field wall with a sac fly. The very next batter chopped a ball towards second base. A tough play and collision resulted in Barrosa being called out for interference, slamming the door on a comeback bid.
The series concludes tomorrow before starting a two-week road trip to close the book on the first half of the season. This six-game set will end the same way it started, with a pair of top-ranked organizational prospects on the bump. D-backs' top-rated pitching prospect Blake Walston (1-2, 7.66 ERA) will get the ball for Amarillo while RHP and Rangers' top overall prospect Jack Leiter (2-5, 5.90 ERA) is slated to begin the game on the bump. Sunday's game will mark the last time the RoughRiders visit HODGETOWN before September. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM with the first 1,500 fans through the gates receiving a Sod Poodles beach towel as a giveaway item.
Notes:
Franchise History: The 11 runs scored by Amarillo in the bottom of the 8th inning set a new franchise-high for runs in a single inning. The double-digit production at the plate topped the 10 runs scored by the team in a 19-10 win over San Antonio earlier in the year on April 19. The team mustered 11 runs in the inning without a home run and just two extra-base hits including a Drew Stankiewicz bases-clearing double with two outs. In the rally, the Sod Poodles tallied seven hits, tying the season-high for hits in an inning, another mark they have achieved three times this year, the last coming on May 11 in Springfield.
I'm Good, How About Drew: Stankiewicz powered the Sod Poodles offense, tallying four knocks on the night including the bases-clearing double in the eighth. It was the fourth time in his career he has had four hits and first since June 28, 2017. Although it still was one shy of tying his career-high, a mark he set on August 30, 2015 while playing for the Lakewood Blue Claws.
What Gives: The Sod Poodles are now 8-7 when scoring 10+ runs this year. Saturday night also marked the first time since May 17th the Sod Poodles and their opponent have picked up 15+ plus hits in the same game, doing so now the fourth time both teams have racked up 15 or more hits in the same game.
What The Pfaadt: Sod Poodles starter Brandon Pfaadt had a rough go of it on Saturday. The D-backs' No. 9 rated prospect saw his string of quality starts come to an end at three consecutive games. It also tied a career-high for hits allowed in a single game, a mark set against Frisco in the season finale in 2021 here at HODGETOWN. Pfaadt still leads the organization in strikeouts, adding five more to his season total Saturday night.