
Sod Poodles Rally, Munoz Shuts Door for Win
May 17, 2019 - Texas League (TL1)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release
Frisco, Texas - The Sod Poodles edged past the Frisco RoughRiders on Friday night at Dr. Pepper Ballpark, hanging on for a 7-5 victory on the strength of two big innings and a shut down performance out of the bullpen from reliever Andres Munoz.
The Sod Poodles trailed early following back-to-back home runs off Miguel Diaz from Frisco's Preston Beck and Andretty Cordero in the fourth inning. Diaz had replaced lefty Adrian Morejon after he went two scoreless innings in his second start after being activated from the injured list earlier in the week.
In the top of the fifth, the Soddies battled back against righty Pedro Payano. To that point, Payano had delivered four scoreless frames.
Hudson Potts walked to start the inning. A one-out single from Kyle Overstreet put two runners on, and Potts would later score on a sac fly from Chris Baker. After Buddy Reed's two-out single, Rodrigo Orozco belted a two-run double to deep centerfield as Amarillo jumped out to a 3-2 lead. Ivan Castillo then hit an RBI single to make it 4-2.
Amarillo got more in the sixth against Payano. Luis Torrens ripped a two-RBI double to right centerfield to extend the advantage to 6-2. Reed collected an RBI double to make it 7-2.
Diaz settled down on the mound, ultimately going five innings in relief while allowing three runs, including one in the sixth.
In the eighth, Blake Rogers entered from Amarillo's bullpen and got into trouble. He allowed two runs on RBI hits from Cordero and Charles LeBlanc.
With the score 7-5 and Frisco having the bases loaded, the Sod Poodles went to righty Andres Munoz. The 20-year-old struck out Tony Sanchez looking and induced an inning ending ground ball from Brendon Davis to end the frame.
In the ninth, Munoz came back on and retired the side in order. He picked up his fourth save of the season and his recorded his tenth straight scoreless outing.
The Sod Poodles and RoughRiders continue their series on Saturday night. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. Amarillo sends righty Emmanuel Ramirez to the hill while Frisco counters with righty Edgar Arredondo.
The game is aired on 940 AM KIXZ and via streaming platforms with Sam Levitt on the play-by-play call beginning at 6:45 p.m.
NOTES
Andres Does It Again: Andres Munoz was again masterful on Friday night in Frisco, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings for a save. He faced five batters and retired all of them.
Munoz has now put together a streak of ten scoreless appearances out of Amarillo's bullpen. In the stretch: 11.2 innings, two hits, 25 strikeouts, four walks, and three saves.
Diaz Delivers in Rehab: Right-hander Miguel Diaz went five innings and allowed three earned runs in his third rehab appearance with the Sod Poodles on Friday night, picking up the victory in Amarillo's 7-5 win.
Former Redbird Continues to Rake: Owen Miller, who was selected by the Padres in the 3rd round of the 2018 MLB Draft from Illinois State, continues to hit consistently. Miller has collected 45 hits this season, which ranks 2nd in the Texas League. His average is now up to .296 with three home runs and 15 RBI.
Miller collected two singles and an RBI in the series opener on Thursday night in Frisco. He had a hit on Friday night, too.
Torrens Delivers at (and behind) the Plate: Amarillo catcher Luis Torrens had two singles and a run scored on Thursday night in Frisco. He also had a two-RBI double on Friday night. His season batting average in now up to .303.
Perhaps even more impressive, Torrens has thrown out 50% of base stealers (10 caught stealing, 20 attempts) this season. He threw out Frisco's Eliezer Alvarez attempting to steal in the 8th inning of Thursday's game on a pitch that was backhanded in the dirt, while then executing a perfect throw to second base.
Home Cooking: The Sod Poodles have an 11-8 record at HODGETOWN and are 6-15 away from their home ballpark.
100K+: With Tuesday night's announced attendance of 5,462, the Sod Poodles have welcomed 101,408 fans to HODGETOWN in just 17 home games, averaging just shy of 6,000 fans per game so far during the 2019 inaugural season. The Sod Poodles are the first team in the Texas League this season to reach over 100,000 in attendance at home.
Rivas Round-Up: Catcher Webster Rivas slugged his first home run of the season in big fashion Wednesday night in the final game against Midland. With two strikes, Rivas knocked a go-ahead, three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth.
Series Victory: The Sod Poodles secured their fourth series victory of the season and first over the Midland RockHounds this season on Wednesday night. In 2019, the Sod Poodles hold a 4-5-2 win-loss-split season record.
Not Weir(d): In his sixth start of the season Wednesday night, T.J. Weir kept his season pace, tossing five innings for a fourth time while allowing just four hits (tying a season-best) and just two runs (none earned). Weir also tied an individual and team season-high with nine strikeouts.
9 Up, 9 Down: Paco Rodriguez earned his first win of 2019 Wednesday night after tossing three perfect innings - nine up and nine down - while racking up three strikeouts.
104 on the gun: Flamethrower Andres Munoz tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning Wednesday night to earn his team-leading third save, before getting his fourth on Friday. His final fastball on the gun was clocked at 104 MPH before he struck out Greg Deichmann with an 85 MPH slider.
New History: Owen Miller and Buddy Reed became the first and second Sod Poodles players respectively in franchise history to record four-hit games. On Monday, Miller knocked three singles and a double while Reed came just a triple shy of the cycle.
Texas League Stories from May 17, 2019
- Gomez Guides Naturals to Win over Cardinals - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Beck and Cordero Go Back-To-Back in 7-5 Defeat - Frisco RoughRiders
- Sod Poodles Rally, Munoz Shuts Door for Win - Amarillo Sod Poodles
- 7 Game Series vs Naturals and Cardinals - Arkansas Travelers
- Sod Poodles Upcoming Homestand Features Fireworks, Back-To-Back Weekend Giveaways - Amarillo Sod Poodles
- Cardinals Day at Dickerson Park Zoo this Sunday - Springfield Cardinals
- Carlson Nearly Cycles as Cards Blow Past Naturals, 10-4 - Springfield Cardinals
- Sod Poodles Pull Even Late, Fall in Series Opener - Amarillo Sod Poodles
- White's Three RBIs Lead RockHounds to Win - Midland RockHounds
- Drillers Take Opener from Travs - Arkansas Travelers
- Hounds Pull Away Late - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Naturals Winning Streak Ends as Cardinals Take Opener - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Beck's Walk-Off Single Helps Riders Bury Sod Poodles - Frisco RoughRiders
- Drillers Top First-Place Travelers - Tulsa Drillers
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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