August 18, 2022 – Texas League (TL) – Amarillo Sod Poodles Press Release
Midland, TEXAS – The Amarillo Sod Poodles won the season series against the Midland RockHounds with a 9-1 victory Tuesday night to win the 2022 Oil Pan Cup. The Sod Poodle offense exploded for 20 hits to win the the team’s second Cup in three seasons.
The shot started at 1st for Amarillo but they couldn’t score a pair of singles. Midland hit the scoreboard first with a run late in the inning on a two-out double and an RBI single.
Amarillo took the lead with a pair of runs in the 3rd, their first of four straight innings with a run scored. Andy Yerzy started the inning with a hit and a pair of two-out singles made it 1-1. The Sod Poodles then took the lead on a wild pitch with Leandro Cedeño scoring from 3rd.
After allowing a run in the 1st, Sod Poodles starter Ross Carver (1-2) cruised through the rest of his outing. He allowed just four hits in his next five innings of scoreless work and was helped by a strong defense with eight groundouts and five flyouts.
Roby Enriquez led the start of the 4th with a brace for the Soddies and Tim Tawa singled to put the runners in the corners. Juan Centeno made Amarillo 3-1 with an RBI single to left field, but he got stuck after stealing second base.
The Sod Poodles followed up their 4th on three hits with a 5th on four hits to score another run. Cedeño and Tristin English started the frame with singles and Alexander tackled one with an RBI single. The inning ended with two against, two of Amarillo’s 11 runners remaining on base in the contest.
The top of the 5th ended with a game-scoring play by Roby Enriquez into right field, throwing Zack Gelof home. He charged a shallow pop fly and couldn’t make the slippery catch, but got up on his feet and caught the runner in time to keep a run off the board.
Amarillo made it a five-run game with three more hits in the 6th, their fourth straight inning with multiple hits. Jorge Barrosa was second on a hit and a stolen base, and two runs were scored on back-to-back singles by Eduardo Diaz and Cedeño. Carver retired the side in order eight pitches down the frame.
Jake Rice came on as relief in the bottom of the 7th, ending Carver’s night with an excellent 6.0 IP, 6 H, ER, 2 BB and 2 K. It was the first win and quality start in his Double-A career . Rice walked one but threw an inning scoreless.
The Soddies notched their 20th hit of the game and made it 9-1 with three runs in the 8th. Barrosa started the inning with a double and was scored on a Diaz RBI single, and Cedeño added two more with a two-run homer to right field. It capped a 5-on-5 night for Cedeño, who extended his team-leading total of 25 homers, 77 RBIs and 115 hits.
Andrew Saalfrank and Josh Green teamed up to close out the game for Amarillo. Amarillo beat Midland 20-6 and won three in a row to start the series. The Sod Poodles (22-20) are now three games behind the RockHounds (25-17) in the Texas League South second half standings.
Remarks:
Oil Pan Cup Champs!: The Sod Poodles won the season series against the RockHounds tonight to win their second Oil Pan Cup in franchise history. Amarillo are 13-8 against Midland this year with just three games left in their head-to-head schedule. The Sod Poodles have reclaimed the cup since winning it 17-12 in their debut season. The RockHounds enjoyed brief custody with a 13-11 head-to-head record in 2021. With three games remaining in the series, the Sod Poodles (22-20) are just three games away. of the Hounds (25-17) at Texas. Ranking of the second half of the South League.
Carve ‘Em Up: RHP Ross Carver got his first quality start at the Double-A level and earned his first victory after six innings of one-running. He allowed six hits and two walks with two punches on 80 pitches, striking out 18 of the 24 batters he faced. Arizona’s No. 25 prospect is now 1-2 on the year with a 9.37 ERA. It was his first win since June 16 when he was with the High-A Hillsboro Hops.
Record slugger: 1B Leandro Cedeño set a new career high with five hits tonight in a 5-on-5 performance and tied the Sod Poodles’ single-season franchise record with his 25th home run of the year. He had four singles and a home run, surpassing his previous record of four hits which he completed four times during his six-year career. He tied the franchise record of 25 home runs that Stone Garrett hit in 2021 and hit the mark in nine fewer games (Garrett – 103, Cedeño – 95). The powerhouse outfielder ranks second in the Texas League (Ryan Ward, 27) and Arizona Farm System (Garrett, 28) in total homers this season and leads the Sod Poodles in RBI (77) and hits sure (115).
Make It Rain Andrew Jacksons: The Sod Poodles had 20 hits tonight, just shy of their season-high 21 on April 19 against San Antonio. Leandro Cedeño led the way with five, Jorge Barrosa went 3 for 6, while Blaze Alexander, Juan Centeno, Eduardo Diaz, Tristin English and Tim Tawa each had two hits. Every Sod Poodle starter had a hit for the second straight night, and Amarillo is now 10-2 when he eclipses the 15-hit milestone.
Got That Dawg In ‘Em: The Amarillo bullpen combined for three hitless innings tonight. After Ross Carver’s quality start (6.0 IP, ER, 2K), Jake Rice scored in the 7th, Andrew Saalfrank scored in the 8th, and Josh Green retired the team in the 9th. The Sod Poodles bullpen combined to allow just three hits over their last 10.1 SI with 11 strikeouts and three walks in that span.
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