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TL1 Amarillo Sod Poodles

Sod Poodles Offense Quieted in 3-2 Series Opener Loss to Hooks

June 28, 2019 - Texas League (TL1)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release


AMARILLO, Tex. - The Sod Poodles fell 3-2 to the Corpus Christi Hooks, who collected 10 hits, in the series opener at HODGETOWN on Thursday evening. Amarillo catcher Luis Torrens collected the only two hits and RBIs for the Soddies on his 2-for-3 night with an RBI single and home run. The two hits for Amarillo marked a new franchise low in the category.

Righty starter Kyle Lloyd was impressive for Amarillo in his fourth start of the season. Before allowing three solo home runs in the fifth, he tossed four frames of four-hit shutout ball with one walk. He completed his night after four and two-thirds innings and two strikeouts with three runs allowed. Three relievers - Evan Miller, Michel Baez, and J.C. Cosme - combined for four and one-third innings of three-hit ball. Baez spanned two frames and struck out five of his six batters faced.

After three scoreless and hitless frames by the Sod Poodles and just four hits collected by Corpus Christi, Amarillo's offense found some life in the bottom of the fourth. Edward Olivares led the inning off with the team's fourth walk of the night and stole second to quickly get into scoring position. Owen Miller marked the first out on his strikeout but a passed ball sent Olivares to third base. Luis Torrens took advantage and singled up the middle to mark the first hit for the Sod Poodles and the first run of the game.

In the top of the fifth, Corpus Christi unlocked their offense in big fashion. Colten Shaver led off the half with a solo home run to left field while Chuckie Robinson backed him up with another solo home run. After two consecutive strikeouts by Lloyd, Ronnie Dawson added one more solo home run to make it a 3-1 contest.

In the bottom of the seventh, Torrens came up big once again with a solo home run to minimize the deficit to within a run and make it a 3-2 contest. It marked his second hit of the night and just the second hit for Amarillo.

Following a three-batter top of the eighth, the rain arrived in downtown Amarillo sending the game into a delay.

After a brief 38-minute rain delay, the game would remain stagnant, sending the Sod Poodles into a three-game losing streak.

The Sod Poodles and Hooks continue their four-game set at HODGETOWN tomorrow evening. First pitch in downtown Amarillo is at 7:05 p.m.

NOTES:

Franchise Low: The Sod Poodles were held to a franchise-low two hits on Thursday night against the Hooks. The previous low for Amarillo was three hits which the Sod Poodles were held to on three occasions in 2019. The last time was on June 8 at Whataburger Field against Corpus Christi.

That Escalated Quickly: Sod Poodles starting pitcher Kyle Lloyd tossed 4.2 innings Thursday night against the visiting Hooks where he picked up the loss. Lloyd allowed three runs all of which were solo home runs. Lloyd struck out two batters and walked just one in his outing.

Dinger: Luis Torrens belted his fourth home run of the season Thursday night against the Hooks. The home run was a solo shot in the seventh inning which at the time drew Amarillo within one run of the visiting Hooks.

Rain, Rain Go Away: In the middle of the eighth inning, the Sod Poodles and Hooks were delayed 38 minutes because of rain. The delay was the shortest at HODGETOWN this season. The shortest delay this season the Sod Poodles have been a part of came on April 24 in Springfield when they were delayed 27 minutes.

Two Is Better Than One: Luis Torrens collected his 15th multi-hit game Thursday night as he went 2-for-3 with a solo home run. Torrens has 11 two hits games and 4 three-hit games this season.

Throwing Ched: Michel Baez tossed two innings against Corpus Christi, Thursday and struck out five of the six batters he faced. Baez has struck out 29 batters this season which ranks 6th among Amarillo relievers.

Three Spot: The Corpus Christi Hooks hit three home runs in the fifth inning Thursday night at HODGETOWN off of Amarillo starter Kyle Lloyd. The most home runs hit in a game by an opposing team against Amarillo is also Corpus Christi with 6 (5/22/19 at HODGETOWN).

He's Got A Cannon: Luis Torrens threw out his 25th base runner Thursday night against Corpus Christi. Torrens holds a caught stealing percentage of .500 (25-for-50) which leads all Amarillo catchers this season.

Swipin' Bags: Edward Olivares collected his 18th stolen bag Thursday night. The 18th stolen base ranks Olivares 4th in the Texas League in the category. Nick Heath of Northwest Arkansas ranks first with 41 stolen bases this season.

Top Performers: The Sod Poodles currently possess two of the top hitters in the Texas League. Ivan Castillo leads the circuit and all of Double-A with a .340 batting average. Owen Miller's ranks 6th in the league with a .306 batting average. Miller leads the league in total hits with 89. That is 10 more than any other player in the Texas League. Arkansas' Donnie Walton ranks 2nd with 79 hits.

All-Star Game Review: Amarillo Sod Poodles had eight players selected to the 2019 All-Star game in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Luis Torrens started at catcher and went 0-3, 2 K, Ivan Castillo started at second base and went 1-3, K, Owen Miller started at shortstop and went 1-3, 2B, Edward Olivares started in right field and went 1-3, BB, Kyle Overstreet started at first base and went 0-2, 2 BB, RHP Emmanuel Ramirez was named the starting pitcher for the south and tossed one inning allowing one hit, no runs, and a strikeout, LHP Travis Radke went one inning in relief and didn't allow a hit, and David Bednar went 0.1 innings and didn't allow a hit. Amarillo's manager Phillip Wellman along with his team staff were at the helm of the 2019 Texas League South Division All-Star Roster since the Padres Double-A affiliate in San Antonio were South Division Champions in 2018. The South Division won by a final score of 5-1.

Hosed: Edward Olivares recorded his third outfield assist Sunday afternoon against the Drillers. All three of Olivares's assists have come while playing right field. Last season Olivares collected 11 assists with High-A Lake Elsinore.

Post-season in the Panhandle: Amarillo clinched a spot in the 2019 postseason on June 17 as they beat the Naturals 8-2, while division rival Midland fell to Springfield, 3-0. Amarillo will host the first two games of the Texas League Division Series on September 4th and 5th. The Sod Poodles made quite the run to the Texas League South First Half title in 2019. On May 16, the Soddies were in last place in the division and trailed the division leader by 6 games.

Off The Bench: The Sod Poodles used their 18th pitch hitter of the season on Sunday in Tulsa. Amarillo is batting 3-for-15 when using a pinch hitter with a solo home run by Peter Van Gansen and three walks.

Rough Ending: The Amarillo Sod Poodles went 2-5 on the recent road trip that took them through Northwest Arkansas and Tulsa. Amarillo took one game out of three on in Springdale. The one win did clinch the Sod Poodles the First-Half South division. The Sod Poodles second victory came in Tulsa on June 21 as they won by a final score of 4-3. Amarillo holds a record of 1-5 in the second half but are on two games back of first place.

PVG Loves Tulsa: Sod Poodles infielder Peter Van Gansen launched three home runs in three of four games against the Tulsa Drillers. Van Gansen collected a pinch-hit homer on Thursday night followed by a solo shot Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The home runs on back-to-back days on Thursday and Friday represents the first time that Van Gansen has hit a home run in two straight games during his pro career.

Makita Madness: The Sod Poodles submariner Kazuhisa Makita rejoined Amarillo after being designated for assignment and was outrighted to the Amarillo roster on June 25. Makita has appeared in 24 games with the Sod Poodles where he has tossed 37.2 innings. Makita has struck out 36 opposing batters and allowed 16 earned runs. Makita holds a record of 3-2 this season out of the bullpen.

HODGETOWN Attendance: HODGETOWN drew a season-high 7,329 fans on Father's Day Sunday. The sold-out crowd was the largest attending since Opening Night's 7,175 on April 8. Through 35 home dates in 2019, the Sod Poodles are averaging 6,117 fans per game with 214,105 fans total in downtown Amarillo in the inaugural season of the club.

What's Coming Up: The Sod Poodles will start a four-game homestand against the Corpus Christi Hooks on Thursday, June 27 at HODGETOWN. Then Amarillo will hit the road once again on Monday as they will face their rival the RockHounds for a three-game set in Midland.

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