Four-Run Seventh Powers Fifth Straight Win for Sod Poodles
AMARILLO, TX (June 18, 2026) -- The Amarillo Sod Poodles (34-31) defeated the Midland RockHounds (31-34), 9-5, on Thursday night at HODGETOWN. Tightly contested through the early innings, the Sod Poodles pulled away in the late stages to sustain their win streak. Just as they did the night before, the
AMARILLO, TX (June 18, 2026) -- The Amarillo Sod Poodles (34-31) defeated the Midland RockHounds (31-34), 9-5, on Thursday night at HODGETOWN. Tightly contested through the early innings, the Sod Poodles pulled away in the late stages to sustain their win streak.
Just as they did the night before, the RockHounds built up a lead right away by hanging a crooked number in the top of the first inning. Leo De Vries scored on a balk after doubling and stealing third base to open the scoring, and Devin Taylor hit a solo home run to right one batter later.
The Sod Poodles created traffic on the basepaths in every inning against Midland starter Kenya Huggins and scratched a run across in each of the first three frames. Their first run of the night was a product of a two-out rally in which Ben McLaughlin walked and advanced to second base on a wild pitch before scoring on Demetrio Crisantes’ single.
Midland added another run in the next inning on an RBI groundout by Ryan Lasko, which Amarillo answered in the home half of the second. Matt O’Neill reached base to lead off the frame with and moved up to second base when shortstop Bobby Boser’s throw bounced out of play. Back-to-back singles by Danny Serretti and Cristofer Torin moved O’Neill over and in to bring the Soddies back within a run.
Amarillo completed the early comeback in the bottom of the third, yet again applying pressure to Huggins by drawing a walk and recording a single to begin the inning. Gavin Conticello drove in Crisantes with an opposite-field single to tie the game at 3-3.
Both teams had opted for its bullpen by the start of the fourth inning, which held firm through the middle innings. But in the seventh inning, the back-and-forth nature of the game resumed once De Vries ended the stalemate with a solo home run to open the frame.
However, the Sod Poodles were finally able to string together a big inning in the bottom of the seventh, plating four runs the to grab the lead. All nine batters in Amarillo’s order came to the plate in a frame that was spearheaded by three straight hits off RockHounds reliever A.J. Causey, the third of which was a go-ahead two-RBI single from Druw Jones. The Soddies were able to create distance on another big base knock by Serretti with two outs that brought in two more runs.
Druw Jones gives us the lead in the 7th!
— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) June 19, 2026
Soddies up 5-4!#SoddiesSummer pic.twitter.com/B3y6diig6q
Ahead 7-4, Crisantes began to put on the finishing touches for Amarillo with his second homer of the week in the bottom of the eighth. A sequence of mishaps allowed Jones to score Amarillo’s ninth run of the evening later in the two-run frame. Bobby Boser left the yard in the top of the ninth, but it would be too little, too late for Midland as the Soddies secured their fifth consecutive win.
POSTGAME NOTES
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES: The past month has continued to be kind for Druw Jones at the plate, who was all over the stat sheet with a three-hit night...in 14 June games, the Gold Glove center fielder has a .458 on-base percentage and .966 OPS.
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NICE DEMETRIO YOU: Demetrio Crisantes* has been swinging a hot stick since coming back from injury...the No. 5 D-backs prospect finished a triple shy of the cycle on Thursday, increasing his numbers to where now eight of his 18 Double-A on the year hits have gone for extra bases.