Sod Poodles Eight-Run First Inning Not Enough in 18-9 Game Two Loss to Drillers
September 12, 2019 - Texas League (TL1)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release
AMARILLO, Texas - The Sod Poodles fell to the Tulsa Drillers 18-9 in front of 5,809 in the final game at HODGETOWN in game two of the Texas League Championship Series. Despite taking an 8-3 lead after the first inning, the Drillers continued an offensive ride that could not be stopped, plating 15 more runs in all but two innings on 15 hits, including a Tulsa professional baseball-high nine home runs. The series will now head to Tulsa with the series tied at 1-1.
Taylor Trammell led the Sod Poodles offensively going 2-for-5 with a triple, home run, three RBI, and a run scored. Both of Trammell's hits came in the first inning.
Tulsa started the scoring early on, taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning courtesy of two home runs and a sacrifice fly. On the very first pitch of the game, Jeter Downs hit a solo home run. Connor Wong followed with a double to right-center field and advanced to third base on a Chris Parmelee fly out. Wong scored on a Cody Thomas sacrifice fly to center field. Donovan Casey capped off the inning with a solo home run to center field.
But, in the bottom half, the Sod Poodles answered back, exploding with eight runs on six hits. Taylor Trammell started the inning with a triple down the right-field line and scored on an Ivan Castillo double. Edward Olivares followed with an RBI single to left field while Owen Miller continued the rally with a single to right and Luis Torrens reached on a fielding error to load the bases. Olivares then came in to score on a Hudson Potts sacrifice fly. After Kyle Overstreet walked to reload the bases and Buddy Reed popped out to first base, Soddies starting pitcher Jacob Nix roped a two-RBI single to right-center field. Trammell capped off the inning with a three-run home run to left field in his second at-bat to give the Sod Poodles an 8-3 advantage.
In the second inning, the Drillers retook a 9-8 lead plating six more runs on five hits. Omar Estevez worked a leadoff walk to start the inning. Carlos Rincon followed with a flyout and Luis Vasquez struck out on a bunt attempt. Estevez then advanced to second on a wild pitch and Downs then walked to place runners on first and second. One batter later, Wong roped a two-RBI double to right-center field while Parmelee and Thomas would homer. After Casey hit a single to center field, Nix was relieved by Blake Rogers who would allow the sixth run to score before finishing out the half.
Tulsa added to their lead in the third inning when they plated three runs when Casey hit a three-run home run to left field with two outs to extend the Drillers lead to 12-8.
In the bottom of the fourth, Amarillo cut the Drillers lead to 12-9 via an Olivares solo home run to right field.
The Drillers extended their lead to 14-9 in the fifth and sixth innings with a pair of solo home runs from Downs and Rincon.
Tulsa tacked on two runs in the eighth inning to stretch their lead to 16-9 when Estevez hit a two-run home run to left field to plate Casey, who doubled to start the frame. Then, in the ninth, the Drillers added two final runs on Downs' solo home run and Wong's third double of the night to make it a commanding 18-9 score, which was too far out for Amarillo to come back from.
The Sod Poodles continue the Texas League Championship Series in Tulsa Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
NOTES:
Championship Series Game Three Preview: The Amarillo Sod Poodles will play game three and the remainder of the Texas League Championship Series at ONEOK Field in Tulsa. Game three will take place on Friday evening following a travel day on Thursday with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Tomorrow's Starters: Right-hander Kyle Lloyd will make the start for Amarillo in game three against Tulsa on Friday at ONEOK Field. For Tulsa, it will be right-hander Markus Solbach.
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 four playoff games, HODGETOWN has now seen 449,420 fans.
Eight Spot: Amarillo marked their highest-scoring inning in 2019 Wednesday night. In the bottom of the first, after Tulsa took a 3-0 lead, the Sod Poodles came back with eight runs on six hits and an error.
Staying Hot: Outfielder Taylor Trammell had a two-hit game for a second consecutive night with two runs and three RBI in game two of the Texas League Championship Series. Trammell is batting .379 (11-for-29) with five runs, a double, two triples, two home runs, and seven RBI in seven postseason games.
Well, that's a first (literally): In the bottom of the first on Wednesday, outfielder Taylor Trammell became the first player in franchise history to collect two hits in one inning. He led off the frame with a triple and was the 10th batter of the frame which he homered on.
15 Runs In Two Frames: In the final offensive frame of Tuesday night and first offensive frame of Wednesday night, the Sod Poodles collected seven and eight runs respectively, totaling 15 runs.
Pitchers Who Rake: Right-hander Jacob Nix became the ninth Amarillo pitcher to get a hit in 2019 and fifth pitcher to collect an RBI.
Two Out Scoring: Tulsa plated 11 of their 18 runs in game two of the Championship series with two outs.
Long Ball Issues: In the first two games of the Championship series, Tulsa bats have totaled 19 runs courtesy of home runs. They scored six runs on Tuesday night in game one of the series on four home runs - three solo home runs and a three-run. On Wednesday, Tulsa plated 13 of 18 runs on home runs while 9 of 18 hits were home runs.
Too Many: The Tulsa Drillers collected a new HODGETOWN high of nine home runs in a game on Wednesday. It marked the most Amarillo arms have allowed in 2019. The previous high was seven which was also set by Tulsa on August 29 at HODGETOWN. The nine home runs by Tulsa set a new Tulsa Professional Baseball high.
18 Runs: Tulsa set a new record for the most runs scored by an opponent against Amarillo in 2019 with 18 total on Wednesday night. On August 15, Midland set the previous high of 16 at HODGETOWN.
Almost Another High: Tulsa bats tied for a HODGETOWN high with 18 hits Wednesday night. Two other opponents this season has met the feat (Northwest Arkansas on 7/20; Midland on 8/15) while Amarillo has done it once of their own on August 30 against Arkansas.
Score Early and Often: Throughout the regular season, the Sod Poodles hold a 44-20 record when scoring first in a game. In the division series, Amarillo scored first and won their final two games. Amarillo has now won three consecutive when scoring first in a game.
First Postseason Homer: Outfielder Buddy Reed collected his first postseason home run of his career in game one of the Texas League Championship Series. Reed has appeared in 19 postseason games in his career between Low-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio and Amarillo.
Bachar Strong: Right-handed pitcher Lake Bachar tossed four innings in game one of the Texas League Championship Series against the Tulsa Drillers. Bachar allowed one run on two hits and struck out three Tulsa batters. Bachar picked up the no-decision in the outing.
Unfinished Business: For the second straight season, the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers Double-A affiliates will face off in the Texas League Championship. The Drillers defeated the San Antonio Missions last season in a series that lasted five games. In game five, the Missions fell to the Drillers 5-2.
Amarillo Championship History: Amarillo has claimed three league titles in its long history of professional baseball (1948 Gold Sox (Class C Team) - 84-56 finish, Manager Buck "Leakey" Fausett; 1952 Gold Sox (Class C Team) - 70-70 finish, Managers Pat McLaughlin, John "Monk" Webb, Ted Clawitter; 1976 Gold Sox (AA - Padres) - 81-54 finish, Manager Bob Miller.
Can History Repeat Itself?: The Gold Sox won their last Texas League title in their first season as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres in 1976 after finishing with an 81-54 record. In the title series, the Gold Sox defeated the Shreveport Captains (PIT) three games to two.
In The North: The Tulsa Drillers captured their third straight North Division crown by edging the Arkansas Travelers in the fully-spanned five-game series. Both division series went to five games.
Facing Tulsa: The Sod Poodles finished the 2019 regular season against the Tulsa Drillers with a record of 5-9. The Soddies held a record of 3-4 at HODGETOWN and at ONEOK a record of 2-5. In the regular season, Amarillo batters hit .275 against Tulsa while Drillers held a .269 average against Sod Poodles arms. Amarillo pitching finished with a 4.72 ERA against Tulsa's 3.62 ERA.
South Division Series Recap: After falling in the first two games to Midland at HODGETOWN, Amarillo battled back, earning three straight victories on the road at Security Bank Ballpark in Midland. In the final matchup, the Sod Poodles plated seven runs in the second frame to take a commanding lead. The RockHounds fought through the mid-innings with five runs but Amarillo arms held the two-run lead to secure the South Division Series win.
We've Been There: Amarillo has eight players who played with San Antonio during the 2018 TLCS - Pitchers Lake Bachar, Travis Radke, Emmanuel Ramirez; infielders Owen Miller, Kyle Overstreet, Hudson Potts, Peter Van Gansen; outfielder Buddy Reed).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Texas League Stories from September 12, 2019
- Mariners Announce 2019 Minor League Awards - Arkansas Travelers
- 2019 Corpus Christi Hooks Notes - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Drillers Set Homer Record in Wild, Series Tying Win - Tulsa Drillers
- Sod Poodles Eight-Run First Inning Not Enough in 18-9 Game Two Loss to Drillers - Amarillo Sod Poodles
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