Amarillo Outdueled in Midland
September 6, 2024 - Texas League (TL)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release
Midland, Texas - Amarillo dropped a pitchers duel 2-1 to the Midland Rockhounds. The decisive run came on a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Joe Elbis delivered seven stellar innings, giving up just one run, five hits, and one walk. He needed just 88 pitches to get through seven frames. A.J. Vukovich had the only multiple hit game for Amarillo. He had two of the teams three hits and drove in their sole run.
The first inning was a preview of the pitchers duel to come, as both Joe Elbis and James Gonzalez faced the minimum in the first inning. Elbis gave up a single but got a double play.
Jesus Valdez notched the first Amarillo hit with a single in the second and Elbis erased another single with his second double play.
Jean Walters drew a walk and was the only player for either squad to reach base in the third inning.
Caleb Roberts drew a leadoff walk and stole his tenth base of the season to get into scoring position. A.J. Vukovich tomahawked a single up the middle to drive in the first run of the game. Vukovich moved to second on the throw to the plate but was stranded there. Midland answered back in the bottom of the fourth when a two out triple glanced off the glove of a diving Vukovich. The sequential single tied the game at one.
Walters worked his second walk of the game in the fifth but he was once again the only baserunner of the frame.
Amarillo faced a new arm in the sixth inning in Colton Johnson, who would retire all six Soddies he faced and punched out four of them. Elbis induced his third ground ball double play in the seventh inning to cap off his one run performance.
Amarillo went down in order in the top of the eighth inning. Jhosmer Alvarez took the ball in the home half and got the first couple batters out before allowing a solo home run to right field to break the 1-1 tie.
Vukovich singled in the top of the ninth inning, Amarillo's first hit since Vukovich singled with no outs in the fourth. Valdez drew a walk to put the tying run in scoring position, but Kristian Robinson struck out to seal the Sod Poodles fate.
Amarillo dropped game four of the series 2-1 and will look to rebound Saturday at Midland at 7:00 P.M.
Notes
CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH ELBIS: Joe Elbis delivered his second consecutive seven inning performance in Friday night's defeat. Elbis, who is still searching for his first Double-A win, went 7.0 innings, striking out four, walking one, giving up just five hits and one run. His last two starts, he has combined for 14.0 innings pitched, giving up just three earned runs, ten hits, and two walks. He lowered his Double-A E.R.A. to 3.70.
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