TL1 Amarillo Sod Poodles

Sod Poodles Drop Series Opener 9-2 to Tulsa, Remain Two Games Ahead of Midland

Published on August 27, 2019 under Texas League (TL1)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release


AMARILLO, Texas - The Sod Poodles dropped the series opener to the Tulsa Drillers by a final score of 9-2 in front of 4,839 at HODGETWON. Hudson Potts led the Sod Poodles offensively with his 2-for-5 performance with an RBI. Soddies starter Jesse Scholtens tossed five innings and struck out nine batters but picked up the loss in his 19th start of the season. Amarillo remains two games up on Midland in the second half South Division standings.

Tulsa jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning as a pair of singles by Donovan Casey and Jordan Procyshen started off the inning. After Sod Poodles starter Scholtens retired the next two batters, Drew Avans and Omar Estevez both collected RBI singles. The final run of the inning came as Avans scored on a wild pitch.

In the fifth inning, the Sod Poodles cut the Drillers lead to 3-1. Taylor Trammell led off the inning with a single followed by an Ivan Castillo hit by pitch. Owen Miller then singled through the hole at shortstop to load the bases for Luis Torrens. Torrens lined out to third base for the first out of the inning. With the bases still loaded, Hudson Potts hit an RBI infield single to third base. The inning came to an end following Kyle Overstreet's fly out and Buddy Reed's strikeout looking.

The Drillers extended their lead in the sixth inning, plating four runs on four hits. Tulsa opened the inning with a pair of singles from Casey and Jordan Procyshen. Errol Robinson then roped an RBI single to center field. Pinch hitter Jared Walker followed with a three-run home run to right field to give Tulsa the 7-1 advantage.

In the top of the seventh, Tulsa extended their lead yet again when Connor Wong hit a solo home run to left-center field to stretch their lead to 8-1. Then in the bottom of the inning, Amarillo responded with one run of their own. Torrens worked a leadoff walk followed by a Potts double to left-center field. Overstreet then laced an RBI single to left field to make the score 8-2.

The Drillers added an insurance run on in the eighth inning when Robinson singled to start the inning. Avans walked and was followed by an Estevez RBI singled to left field to take a 9-2 lead.

In the ninth inning, Amarillo looked for a monster comeback but went down in order as they dropped game one of their four-game series with the Drillers by a final score of 9-2.

The Sod Poodles continue their eight-game homestand Tuesday against Tulsa. First pitch for Tuesday night's game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

NOTES:

Today's Preview: The Sod Poodles continue their four-game series with the Tulsa Drillers Tuesday night in downtown Amarillo in game two. The Drillers currently lead the series with a game one victory.

Scholtens First Seven: In his 19th start with Amarillo, Jesse Scholtens began by recording his first seven outs of the contest all via a strikeout. Overall, he finished with nine total strikeouts, just two short of his career-high 11, over five innings with 10 hits and five runs allowed without a walk surrendered.

Multi-Hit: Outfielder Taylor Trammell collected just his second multi-hit game on Monday night since joining the Padres forces. Hudson Potts and Kyle Overstreet also added a pair of hits for their 15th and 14th two-hit performances.

Largest Deficit: Monday night's game set the largest deficit the Sod Poodles have faced against Tulsa this season (seven runs). The previous largest was only two runs which came on June 23 at ONEOK Field.

Deep Into Monday: Monday night's contest marked the longest game at HODGETOWN to date. The game one of the series with Tulsa lasted 3:35. The previous longest was 3:30 set on July 22 against Northwest Arkansas.

Men Left Behind: The Sod Poodles left a second-highest 13 runners left on base Monday night. The most left on base for Amarillo in 2019 is 14 marked on May 3 versus Springfield.

Game One Woes: The Sod Poodles fall to a 13-26 record in game ones of a series throughout the 2019 season.

25 Combined: The combined 25 hits between Amarillo and Tulsa on Monday night came three short of the most combined by two teams at HODGETOWN during their inaugural campaign. On May 13, the Sod Poodles and RockHounds combined for 28 hits.

Hitting Stats: The Sod Poodles currently rank 2nd in Double-A baseball with a .259 team batting average. Amarillo sits fourth in all of Double-A with 607 runs scored total.

Drillers Recap: The Sod Poodles welcome the Tulsa Drillers to HODGETOWN for the second time this season for a four-game series. Amarillo holds a record of 4-7 against the Drillers. At home, the Sod Poodles are now 2-2 against Tulsa with one walk-off win on June 16. The Sod Poodles did not fare too well in Tulsa as they went 2-5 at ONEOK Field. Seven of the 11 matchups against the Soddies and Drillers have been decided by two or fewer runs this season.

Magic Number: The Sod Poodles magic number to clinch the second-half South Division entering Tuesday night's game is six games.

Playoff Picture: The Sod Poodles head into their first-ever Texas League Postseason in their inaugural season beginning Wednesday, September 4 at HODGETOWN in the South Division Championship Series. Amarillo will host the first two games on Wednesday, September 4 and Thursday, September 5. An opponent is yet to be determined but Midland currently leads the race with the second-best overall record in the South.

Road Show Over: The Sod Poodles played their final road game of the 2019 regular season on Sunday, capping it off with a win at Arkansas. Amarillo is guaranteed at least one more road trip in the Texas League Division Series.

Looking for #70: The Sod Poodles' next win will be their 70th overall of the season, which will guarantee a winning overall record in the club's inaugural campaign.

Bednar's Brilliance: Amarillo reliever David Bednar has now collected 12 straight scoreless outings with his save Sunday at Arkansas. Since the start of June, he has a 2.06 ERA in 26 appearances (35 innings) while striking out 50 batters in that span.

Lucky 7: With Amarillo's seven-run frame on Thursday night, it tied a season-high for runs scored in an inning. It was the second time the Sod Poodles plated seven in an inning. The first time the Sod Poodles accomplished the feat was on April 11 vs. Corpus Christi.

Welcome, Tom Colletti: In a corresponding move with RHP Evan Miller's promotion to Triple-A El Paso, the Sod Poodles added RHP Tom Colletti to their bullpen from El Paso. Colletti was signed by San Diego as an undrafted free agent in 2017 from Ohio University (MAC). Amarillo will mark Colletti's fifth stop in the Padres system this season. He began the year at Fort Wayne, and then has been sent to Tri-Cities, Lake Elsinore, back to Tri-Cities, El Paso, and now to Amarillo. Between the levels, Colletti has collected a 4-5 record and 4.38 ERA with 3 saves in 28 appearances...spanning 49.1 innings while striking out 62.

Down The Stretch We Come: Seven games remain in the 2019 inaugural regular season for the Sod Poodles before the Texas League postseason begins.

Rain Is a Good Thing: The Sod Poodles played in their first rained shortened game Thursday night in Tulsa. The contest was called following the end of the seventh inning due to rain while the Sod Poodles held a 9-3 lead.

36 so far: HODGETOWN saw it's 36th sellout of the 2019 season in their 60th home game.

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Texas League Stories from August 27, 2019


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