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Elliott, Pope Send Sox To Series Win After 5-4 Defeat of the Cats

July 27, 2011 - American Association (AA)
Amarillo ThunderHeads News Release


AMARILLO, TX - Amarillo Sox starting pitcher Matt Elliott went eight strong innings, while Van Pope hit a crucial three-run homerun to propel the Sox past the Fort Worth Cats 5-4 on Wednesday night in front of 2,035 fans at the Amarillo National Bank Sox Stadium.

Elliott (7-3) allowed just eight hits and four runs with four walks and seven strikeouts in the win. Fort Worth starter Dwayne Pollok (3-5) got the loss, allowing five runs off eight hits in five and a third innings. Sox closer Cody Evans got his third save, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth.

The Cats took an early lead on a Trent Lockwood second inning solo homerun. Amarillo tied the game in the fifth inning on a Kevin Butler RBI double for a 1-1 score.

Fort Worth retook the lead in the sixth on an RBI triple from Marcos Rodriguez. Ryan Patterson doubled to score Rodriguez, while John Allen singled to score Patterson for a 4-1 Cats lead.

The Sox fought back in the bottom half of the sixth. Adam De La Garza hit a one-out triple and scored on an error, while Cyle Hankerd and Lee Cruz singled to put runners on the corners. Van Pope followed with a three-run line-drive homerun over the left field wall for a 5-4 Sox lead.

That was all the support that Elliott needed, allowing a leadoff runner on in the seventh on an error, before striking out the next three batters to end the inning. In the eighth, he allowed a one-out single, but struck out the last two batters to end the inning with the Sox in the lead.

Evans came in for the ninth and retired all three batters in order to preserve the 5-4 victory.

With the win, the Sox improve to 34-36 while the Cats fall to 31-38. Thursday, Amarillo will travel to Shreveport-Bossier to take on the Captains for the opening game of a two-game set at 7:05pm. The game can be heard by visiting www.sbcaptains.com. Game time is tentative and is subject to blackout.

Season tickets are available for purchase in-person by visiting the Sox Front Offices at 801 S. Polk or over the phone by calling (806) 242-4653. For more information on tickets, game times and schedules, promotions, marketing opportunities, and everything else Sox, visit the "Official Website of the Amarillo Sox" at www.amarillosox.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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