Valdez Slugs Clutch Homer In Soddies Win Over Tulsa

AMARILLO, TX (June 5, 2026) -- The Amarillo Sod Poodles (27-27) defeated the Tulsa Drillers (35-20), 10-7, on Friday night at HODGETOWN. On a night in which the visitors went deep five times, the Sod Poodles held off the Drillers in a back-and-forth battle.

Both starters faced the minimum in the first to post a scoreless opening frame, but Amarillo once again scratched the first run of the night, doing so in the home second.

With Ben McLaughlin in scoring position, Jesus Valdez checked in with a cue shot that rode the first base chalk and hit the front edge of the bag, popping up and out of the reach of the Tulsa first baseman to sneak into right field and allow McLaughlin to score with ease. The advantage would not last long however as Jake Gelof mashed an 0-1 pitch 480 feet to lead off the top of the third with a game-tying solo homer.

Amarillo continued the string of back-and-forth scoring with Cristofer Torin sending a 2-0 breaking ball over the left field wall to put the Soddies up by one. The lead was once again short-lived with Mike Sirota matching Torin with a solo blast of his own in the top of the fourth.

Following a 44-minute weather delay and a scoreless top of the fifth, three consecutive Amarillo singles led off the home half, beginning with Junior Franco’s bunt single down the third base line. Torin drew the bases loaded walk on four pitches to bring the Soddies run total to three.

The Sod Poodles wound up rattling off a five-run inning where they scratched four more runs on a wild pitch, a fielder’s choice, a groundout, and a hard-hit single to right-center off the bat of Gavin Conticello.

Back-to-back solo shots by the Gelof and Chris Newell in the seventh drew Tulsa within two, but Valdez extended the Amarillo lead to five after unloading on an 0-2 pitch, depositing it over the left-center field wall as the Soddies hit the double-digit mark in the run column.

The Valdez three-run tank would prove critical as the Drillers would not go down without a fight, bringing themselves within three runs on RBI hits from Gelof and Josue De Paula. Alfred Morillo was able to batten down the hatches however and prevent further damage while Casey Anderson took the ball in the ninth, earning his third save of the year to hold off the Drillers in Amarillo’s 10-7 win.

POSTGAME NOTES

JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL: Checking in with his first homer of the year this evening was Jesus Valdez...it is the first three-run blast in Valdez’s career in the seventh inning or later in a game that his team went on to win.

WHAT CONTI DO?: Extending his hit streak to eight games this evening was Gavin Conticello...he is batting .323 (10x31) with an .898 OPS over the stretch.