Amarillo Drops 13-Inning Nail Biter

Amarillo, Texas (June 30, 2023) – The back and forth game three between the Amarillo Sod Poodles and Tulsa Drillers went in favor of the Dodgers' Double-A club on Friday night. The two teams traded runs early & late, seeing a combined 13 runs score on 20 hits. The two combined to use 15 different pitchers, setting up an interesting weekend of bullpen decisions for an important series to begin the Texas League second half.

Back-to-back strikeouts from Amarillo starter Luke Albright left a pair of Drillers on base in the top of the first inning after a one-out walk and single. Ryan Bliss began Amarillo's night with a leadoff double but was cut down trying to steal third base in a scoreless opening inning.

Albright was quickly back to work, striking out his fourth straight as the right-hander retired the first two Drillers in the top of the second before a flyout moved the game to the bottom of the second. Caleb Roberts slugged his sixth home run of the year - and his third in his last four games to put the Sod Poodles up 1-0. Consecutive out-out doubles brought home Amarillo's second run of the night.

The Drillers put up three runs in the top of the fourth inning to take the lead. The damage came via a leadoff single, a one-out triple, and then followed up the triple with a two-run home run by the Dodgers' second ranked prospect, Diego Cartaya. Amarillo got a couple of runners on base in the bottom of the inning, however a double play ended the Soddies half inning.

Albright worked a clean top of the fifth, retiring the side in order, adding his eighth strikeout of the night. Juan Centeno bunted his way aboard for Amarillo and then was able to advance to second on the play with a throwing error. After moving up a base on a groundout, a wild pitch tied the game at 3-3.

Jeff Bain retired Tulsa in order during the top of the sixth inning in his first inning of relief work for Amarillo. The Sod Poodles once again managed to put a couple of runners aboard but were held off the scoreboard as the game remained tied.

The outstretched arm of a diving Roberts was unable to corral a ball that turned into a double for Tulsa with one out in the top of the seventh. The Drillers regained a one-run lead as a two-out RBI single made it 4-3 after the top of the seventh. Bliss roped his seocnd double of the night in the bottom of the inning but was left standing on base. Right-hander Gerald Ogando made his Double-A debut when he took over pitching duties for Amarillo in the top of the eighth. He worked around a trio of walks in the inning to keep Amarillo at a one-run deficit, picking up a pair of strikeouts.

After getting the first two runners of the eighth on base, Amarillo elected to play small ball, moving both into scoring position as Camden Duzenack dropped down a sac bunt. Tim Tawa stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter and runners on second and third. He delivered a sac fly to score the game's tying run, knotting things up at four a side. Ogando's lone inning of work paved the way for Christian Montes De Oca to take the mound for Amarillo in the top of the ninth. Each team was retired in order during the final inning of regulation.

The two teams traded scoreless innings in the 10th and brought an end to Montes De Oca's night. Raffi Vizcaino entered the game for the 11th and struck out the first man he faced. A single into right field scored the first run of the game since the bottom of the eighth as Tulsa took the lead in the second inning of extras. A double put two Drillers into scoring position with still just one away. Jordan Lawlar fielded a sharply hit grounder, checked the runner on third before tossing to first. A two-out walk loaded the bases for Vizcaino and the Sod Poodles. The right-hander struck out Jorbit Vivas to leave the bases loaded and Amarilo chasing just one run.

A walk, and fielding error loaded the bases for Amarillo after having Deyvison De Los Santos start the extra frame on second base. The second pinch hitter of the game for Amarillo was Seth Beer. With a right-hander on the mound for Tulsa, Sod Poodles manager Shawn Roof elected to play the matchup game, sending the left-handed hitting Beer to the plate. After fouling off the first pitch he saw, Beer got enough of the ball to the outfield to score De Los Santos and push the potential winning run to third base with one away. A grounder back to the pitcher was snagged and caught Duzenack in a rundown between home and third for the second out.

The game moved to the 12th inning as another grounder kept the winning run on third base.

Tulsa added a run in the 12th without a hit in the inning off Josh Green who took over for Vizcaino on the bump. Two straight strikeouts in to start the bottom of the inning had Amarillo down to their final out. With the red-hot Caleb Roberts due up to face a righty on the mound, Tulsa elected to issue him a free pass to set up a force play and bring De Los Santos back to the plate. However, a passed ball allowed both runners to advance a base with Amarillo's winning run once again in scoring position. De Los Santos singled into left field, easily scoring the tying run, as Roberts got the wave around third towards the plate. A perfectly thrown ball cut down Roberts on a bang-bang play as the marathon game moved into the 13th inning of play.

A leadoff single immediately gave Tulsa a one-run advantage once again in extra innings. A walk followed by a double play and strike out meant the Sod Poodles were once again chasing a single run, with two sending them home winners of three straight.

Two quick outs still had Roberts standing on second base with Seth Beer coming in to face another right-hander who had already worked 1.2 IP more pitches than the Drillers would have prefered for a depleted bullpen. After the third ball of the inning, the Drillers didn't even waste a pitch, and gave Beer a free pass to first. Quickly falling behind, Centeno fouled off multiple pitches to keep the game alive. A called strike three on the veteran catcher ended the 3:42 13-inning marathon on Friday night.

The Sod Poodles will once again look to earn at worst a series split if they can bounce back to win game four of the series tomorrow, Saturday July 1 as Independence Weekend at HODGETOWN continues. The Sod Poodles will be led by RHP Jamison Hill who is coming off his best start of the year last week in Tulsa. The former Fresno State Bulldog will don the specialty patriotic jersey that will be worn the remainder of the series against the Drillers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

NOTES:

HOTBERTS: Caleb Roberts continued his recent tear at the plate. Roberts scored Amarillo's first run of the game with an opposite field solo shot to begin the bottom of the second inning. It was his third home run in his last four games and sixth overall on the season. The 2021 fifth-round selection is now riding a five game hit streak, with at least one XBH in all five games. The lefty power bat is hitting .400 (8-for-20) with three home runs, two doubles, a triple, and five RBI during the stretch since last Saturday in Corpus Christi. Roberts has scored a run in seven straight games, the longest active streak in the Texas League, and has reached base safely in each of his last 13 games dating back to June 14th.

ALWAYS ON BASE: Camden Duzenack extended a pair of streaks on Friday night. Amarillo's utility man has hit safely in each of his last eight games, hitting .469 (15-for-32) with four doubles, a pair of home runs, nine RBI, and seven runs scored since June 15th. His eight straight games with a hit is the second-longest active streak by a Sod Poodle currently behind Nick Dalesandro (9). He has also reached base in each of his last 23 games, the longest active on-base streak in the Texas League currently. Through 25 games this year, Duzenack is hitting .346.

THE GREATFUL EIGHT: Luke Albright tied an Amarillo season-high by striking out eight hitters in his start on Friday. The right-hander entered the game ranked third in the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system in 2023 with 75 strikeouts. Following his second eight strikeout start in his last four starts, the former Kent State Golden Flash now sits atop the organization with his 83 punchouts. The eight strikeout throne in a game this year now has two different spots for Luke Albright, tying Bryce Jarvis who also had two eight strikeout nights prior to his promotion to Triple-A Reno. Chad Patrick and Jeff Bain are the other two Amarillo arms to have struck out eight in a game in 2023.

IT'S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT: The 3 hour and 42 minute long game was the longest game Amarillo had taken place in this year. The 13 innings also set a new franchise-record for longest game in terms of innings ever played by the Sod Poodles. Amarilo had previously had two games go 12 innings and none since May 27, 2022. Amarillo had not had an extra inning game so far in 2023 go past the 10th, getting all three of their previous extra innings games wrapped up in a hurry.