Troy's Four-Hit Game Highlights Soddies Rout

AMARILLO, TX (April 12, 2025) -- The Amarillo Sod Poodles (2-6) defeated the Springfield Cardinals (6-2), 15-3, on Saturday night at HODGETOWN. A total of five multi-hit performances spearheaded the Soddies first win at home this season.

The Cardinals had traffic on the basepaths early, but Soddies starter Spencer Giesting was able to escape the inning, keeping Springfield off the board in the first. The lefty twirled another two scoreless frames, picking up three strikeouts over his first three innings of work.

Four consecutive base hits to kick off the bottom of the third yielded the first runs of the ballgame for the Sod Poodles. A LuJames Groover single, a Christian Cerda double, and a Caleb Roberts triple gave the hometown squad an early three-run lead. Amarillo would extend their lead to five by the end of the innings with a pair of RBI groundouts.

As Giesting continued to keep the Springfield bats at bay, the Sod Poodles posted a three-run fourth inning kickstarted by a Tommy Troy double.He would eventually come around to score on a fielding error. A Kristian Robinson sacrifice fly and Jose Fernandez RBI single gave Amarillo the 8-0 lead.

The scoring romp continued into the fifth as Groover sent a ball far beyond the left field fence for a solo home run. Robinson would follow him up later in the frame with a two-run blast of his own to give the Soddies the 11-0 advantage.

Springfield scratched three runs on a pair RBI singles and a wild pitch in the sixth, but the Soddies responded with a two-run inning of their own in the bottom half. Amarillo plated a run in both the seventh and eighth innings which put the finishing touches on their 15-3 Saturday night win.

The series finale to opening week in Amarillo is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. RHP Roman Angelo (0-1, 16.62) and LHP Pete Hansen (0-0, 2.25 ERA) are the expected starters.

POSTGAME NOTES

MOVIN’ AND GROOVER: Extending his hit streak to eight games with an multi-hit performance this evening LuJames Groover...also launched his first home run of the season in the fifth...over his eight-game streak, Groover is batting .371 (13-for-35) with five extra-base hits while posting a .992 OPS...the streak is tied for the longest active streak in the Texas League with two others...it is also tied with Edward Olivares (2019) and Blaze Alexander (2022) for the second-longest to open a season in Sod Poodles franchise history.

TROY STORY: Recording the first Sod Poodles four-hit game of the year in tonight’s contest was Tommy Troy, going 4-for-5 at the dish with three runs scored, two doubles and a walk...he extends his hit streak to four games, batting .625 (10-for-16) with seven runs, three doubles, a home run and three RBI over that span.

SUPER CERDA: Checking in with a pair of doubles in the Amarillo win was Christian Cerda, going 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored...marks his third multi-hit performance in his most recent four games...batting .533 (8-for-15) with three extra-base hits and five RBI over an active four-game hit streak.