TL1 Amarillo Sod Poodles

Sod Poodles Drop Game Two 4-1 to RockHounds

Published on September 5, 2019 under Texas League (TL1)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release


AMARILLO, Texas - The Sod Poodles dropped game two of the Texas League South Division Championship Series by a final score of 4-1 in front of 5,465 at HODGETOWN and fall 0-2 in the best-of-five series with Midland in the 2019 Texas League Playoffs. Edward Olivares led the Sod Poodles offensively, plating Amarillo's only run of the night with his solo home run. Jacob Nix tossed five strong innings in his first rehab start with Amarillo, allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts.

In the top of the third inning, Midland scored first with one run on three hits to take a 1-0 lead. The RockHounds opened the inning with three straight singles to load the bases. Brallan Perez then worked a walk to score the lone run for Midland before Nix battled through the next three batters with a fielder's choice groundout and two strikeouts to strand the runners.

Midland tacked on another run in the fourth inning when Greg Deichmann hit a solo home run to right field to make it a 2-0 contest.

In the top of the sixth, Midland continued their momentum, plating two runs on three hits started by Edwin Diaz's leadoff double to left-center field. Deichmann then followed with a two-run home run to left field to stretch their lead to 4-0.

Amarillo cut the Midland lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the inning when Olivares hit a solo home run to left-center field.

The Sod Poodles found a rhythm in the bottom of the eighth, trailing three. With two outs, after Ivan Castillo reached on an error and Luis Torrens was hit by a pitch, the tying run Hudson Potts came up to the plate, but swung at three straight pitches to end the threat.

In the ninth, Amarillo went down in order to quickly end the frame.

The Sod Poodles had a runner on every inning except one frame, finishing the night going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine on base.

The Sod Poodles head to Midland to continue the Texas League South Division Series Friday at Security Bank Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

NOTES:

Game Three Preview: The Sod Poodles head into game three in the Texas League South Division Championship Series against the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, the Midland RockHounds, Friday night at Security Bank Ballpark in Midland. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The fourth and fifth game, if needed, will be played at Security Bank Ballpark in Midland.

Win To Survive: Amarillo must win three straight games in Midland to win the Texas League South Division Championship Series after falling to the RockHounds 4-1 in game two.

Nix Has Arrived: Jacob Nix tossed five quality innings Thursday night in game two of the Texas League South Division Championship Series against the RockHounds. He allowed just two runs on six hits with two walks allowed and struck out six in his rehab start with Amarillo.

Oli Goes Long: Edward Olivares slugged the third home run for the Sod Poodles in the postseason, which also marked the only run for Amarillo Thursday night. Overall, he has totaled 19 home runs in 2019 (regular and postseason).

Trammell Staying Hot: Outfielder Taylor Trammell, who finished the regular season on a five-game hit streak, has carried over his hot bat into the postseason. Over the last two games, he has gone 2-for-8 with a triple, home run, one run scored, one walk, and an RBI.

Bat Support: In game two of the division series with Midland, Amarillo had a runner on base every inning but one. The team left a total of nine runners on base and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

Gore Named MLB Pipeline's Pitcher of the Year: Padres 2017 No. 3 overall draft pick MacKenzie Gore was named by MLB Pipeline as their 2019 Pitcher of the Year after leading all Minor League pitchers who threw 100+ innings in ERA (1.69) & WHIP (0.83) and striking out 135 (vs. 28 BB) in 101 innings.

North Playoff Update: In game two of the North Divisional Series, the Tulsa Drillers defeated the Arkansas Travelers 3-1. The series is now tied at 1-1 heading into game three in Tulsa, OK.

Like They've Been There: Infielders Owen Miller, Hudson Potts, Kyle Overstreet, and Taylor Kohlwey collected multi-hit nights in the first postseason game of 2019. Kohlwey totaled two extra-base hits with an RBI on Wednesday.

Amarillo Playoff Franchise Firsts: Hudson Potts collected the Sod Poodles' first franchise home run in the postseason Wednesday night in game one at HODGETOWN. In the bottom of the first, Edward Olivares collected the first franchise playoff hit.

Too Many Free Passes: Amarillo arms allowed a season-high 11 walks to Midland batters. Five of the total amount of walks converted to a run. The highest amount Sod Poodles pitching allowed previously was 10 walks was on April 14 versus Corpus Christi.

Outhit L: The Sod Poodles dropped just their 19th game overall during 2019 when they outhit an opponent. Amarillo falls to a 60-19 record in the situation.

400K Reached: In the Sod Poodles 64th home game, HODGETOWN welcomed its 400,000th fan. Overall in the regular season, Amarillo's community gathering place saw a total of 427,611 fans. Amarillo ranked 2nd in attendance in all of Double-A and 24th in all of Minor League Baseball. Mixed with the two playoff games, HODGETOWN has now seen 438,269 fans.

Facing Midland: The Sod Poodles finished the 2019 regular season against the Midland RockHounds with a record of 17-12. The Soddies held a record of 10-4 at HODGETOWN and at Security Bank Ballpark a record of 7-8. Amarillo was outscored by the RockHounds at HODGETOWN by one run 87-88.

A Man of Success: Sod Poodles manager Phillip Wellman has made the Texas League playoffs in 2017 and 2018 with the San Antonio Missions. In those two postseasons, Wellman holds a record of 5-8. In 2017 the Missions fell to the Midland RockHounds in five games. Midland eventually went on to be Texas League Champions when they defeated the Tulsa Drillers in five games. Last season Wellman led the Missions to the Texas League championship. Wellman defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks in five games but fell to the Tulsa Drillers in three straight games.

Soddies in the Postseason: The Sod Poodles have twelve names on their roster with previous playoff experience. Lake Bachar, Ivan Castillo, Edward Olivares, Owen Miller, Taylor Trammell, Kyle Overstreet, Hudson Potts, Buddy Reed, Luis Torrens, Peter Van Gansen, Taylor Kohlwey, and A.J. Kennedy. In 2018, Owen Miller batted .257 with a home run, two RBI, and two doubles. Peter Van Gansen went 7-for-16 (.343) with a home run, two RBI, and three doubles. Finally, Lake Bachar made two relief appearances where he tossed six innings. Bachar allowed one earned run and struck out eight batters.

Amarillo Playoff History: The last team from Amarillo to make the postseason was the 1981 Gold Sox managed by Eddie Watt. The Gold Sox were eliminated in the first round. The last team from Amarillo to win a Texas League championship was the 1976 Amarillo Gold Sox, who were also affiliated with the San Diego Padres.

If We Move Forward: If the Sod Poodles defeat the Midland RockHounds in the divisional round they will matchup against the winner of the Arkansas versus Tulsa series. The first two games would take place at HODGETOWN and the remained of the series would move to either Arkansas or Tulsa. Both the Divisional and Championship series are best of five.

72 Wins: The Sod Poodles ended their inaugural regular season with 72 total wins - the fourth-most in the Texas League in 2019.

40th Sellout: HODGETOWN saw 40 sellouts over the course of the 2019 season in 68 home games.

Hitting Stats: The Sod Poodles finished the regular season second in Double-A baseball with a .262 team batting average. Amarillo sits second in all of Double-A with 664 runs scored total.

Deja Vu: The Sod Poodles came into the final day of the second half in the same exact scenario as they were heading into the final day of the first half. On June 17, Amarillo had to win against Northwest Arkansas, which they did by a final score of 8-2, and Midland had to fall to Springfield, which they did by a final of 3-0, to clinch the first half. Despite Amarillo winning Monday, Midland also won their final regular-season game to clinch the second half.

57 Inaugural Players: In the Sod Poodles inaugural season so far, Amarillo has welcomed 57 different players - 21 position players and 36 pitchers. On Thursday, rehabber Jacob Nix marked the 36th pitcher to appear and 57th overall on the Amarillo all-time list.

Check out the Amarillo Sod Poodles Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Texas League Stories from September 5, 2019


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.

OurSports Central