Sod Poodles Split Doubleheader
June 1, 2024 - Texas League (TL)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release
Little Rock, Arkansas - After yesterday's rainout, Amarillo played two seven inning games in the Natural State on Saturday night.
Game One:
Amarillo won a closely contested first game 4-2. The battery of J.J. D'Orazio and Yilber Diaz led the way for the Sod Poodles. D'Orazio had three RBIs and caught five innings of one-run baseball from Diaz, who earned his third win of the season. Will Mabrey was asked to get a six-out save, and he delivered.
Amarillo's top-of-the-order didn't get the jumpstart they wanted as Reid VanScoter, Arkansas' starting pitcher, punched out two in a 1-2-3 inning. The D-backs 16th-rated prospect, Yilber Diaz, returned the favor. He also set down two batters on strikes in his quick first inning.
A.J. Vukovich got the ball rolling for Amarillo, roping their first hit of the game with two outs. Wilderd Patiño followed him up with a backside rip for another single. The Soddies had created some traffic with two outs, and J.J. D'Orazio capitalized by ripping a double down the left-field line to drive in the first two runs of the game. Amarillo wasn't done with the second inning yet, as Kristian Robinson made D'Orazio's stay on the bases a short one, scoring him on a lined single up the middle. The Travelers wouldn't go quietly in the bottom half of the inning, scoring their first run of the game when Jared Oliva stole home when his teammate was picked off at first base with two outs.
The Sod Poodles led 3-1 to start the third but couldn't add on, stranding Tim Tawa after his one-out walk. Diaz got back into character, surrendering a walk but collecting his third and fourth strikeouts of the game.
The fourth inning saw the Sod Poodles score their fourth and final run of the front end of the doubleheader. Vukovich watched four balls go by to start the inning and then swiped his fourth bag of the season. D'Orazio would strike again, driving in his third of the ball game on a single through the right side. Thats all the Soddies could muster before sending Diaz out for another scoreless inning. This one didn't come as easy as he walked two batters. A 4-6-3 double play and a flyout allowed him to strut back to the dugout with another scoreless frame.
Against new pitcher, Logan Gragg, Tawa drew his second base on balls of the contest and then stole his seventh bag of the year, ending up at third base when an error by the second baseman scattered the ball into center field. Unfortunately, Ivan Melendez and Caleb Roberts were unable to score him. They both went down swinging. Diaz walked his fourth batter of the game, which ties his season high, but got the other three Traveler's batsmen out to conclude his five-inning, one-run outing.
The Soddies led by three going into the top of the sixth inning and got another runner into scoring position. Patiño legged out an infield single and then continued to show off his speed by stealing second base. He was stranded there. Will Mabrey looked to continue his recent success in relief of Diaz. A one-out double, followed by a single, plated the second Arkansas run of the afternoon. Vukovich settled under a fly ball with his back against the wall for the second out and Patiño tracked down the third out.
The seventh and final inning of game one saw the first two Soddies batters reach. Jancarlos Cintron was hit by a pitch and then Matt Beaty roped a sharp single through the right side. Tawa grounded into a double play, moving Cintron to third base, but at the cost of two outs. Melendez couldn't come through, and Mabrey would look for a six-out save with a two-run cushion. He started the inning by getting MLB's 26th-rated prospect, Harry Ford, to fly out. He got another flyout and then watched his third baseman, Melendez, snag a line drive to end the ballgame.
Amarillo took down Arkansas 4-2 in game one of the doubleheader. This evened the series up at two games apiece headed into the nightcap, which would start 40 minutes after the first game's conclusion.
NOTES:
DOUBLE D'ORAZIO: J.J. D'Orazio turned in one of two multi-hit efforts for Amarillo in game one of the doubleheader against Arkansas on Saturday. D'Orazio started the scoring for the day by driving in the first two runs with a double in the top of the second inning. Seeing A.J. Vukovich and Wilderd Patino single ahead of him, both with two outs, D'Orazio roped a ball into the left-field corner. It was D'Orazio's fifth two-bagger of the season and gave him his ninth and tenth RBI of the season. He later added a single in the fourth that scored Vukovich again, but a bobbled ball in the outfield negated his third RBI of the day.
DIAZ x DIEZ: Making his 10th start of the season and second straight in a seven-inning doubleheader, Yiber Diaz helped save the Amarillo bullpen in game one. The D-backs' no. 16-rated prospect went 5.0 IP and worked around a season-high five walks to limit the Travs to just one run on one hit with five strikeouts. His five punchouts were the least he has had over his last six starts and the second time he hasn't gotten to at least seven strikeouts in any of his starts this year. By the time game one came to an end, his 75 total strikeouts this year were the most in Double-A and tied for the third most in all Minor League Baseball.
Game Two:
Amarillo looked to take a 3-2 series lead over the Arkansas Travelers and sweep Saturday's doubleheader by sending Jamison Hill to the bump to make his tenth start of the year.
The Sod Poodles couldn't carry over momentum from their first game win as they fell 5-1 to the Travelers. Jamison Hill battled his way through four innings and struck out five. A.J. Vukovich provided the only offense for Amarillo with a solo shot in the final inning of this seven inning affair.
For the second time today, the Sod Poodles struck out twice in a 1-2-3 top half of the first. This time against Juan Mercedes, who would go on to throw a gem for the Travelers. Jamison Hill took the mound for the Soddies and surrendered a leadoff single. He picked the runner off to secure his first out but gave up another two singles to put the Travelers in business. After recording his first strikeout, a Hogan Windish double scored both baserunners to give Arkansas an early 2-0 lead. Hill got the next batter to fly out to end the inning.
The Soddies bats were quiet once again in the second inning, going down in order. Hill battled traffic again as he beaned the first batter and then gave up a single to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Caleb Roberts threw out the runner trying to steal second, but the run came across from third in the process to make it a 3-0 game. Hill struck out the next two batters, including the daunting Harry Ford.
Amarillo got their first baserunner on an S.P. Chen line drive single. With two outs, Jancarlos Cintron added a hit of his own, giving Matt Beaty an opportunity to drive in their first run of the game. It wasn't meant to be, as Beaty hit a hard-line drive, but right to the center fielder. Hill dodged a few bullets in the bottom half of the inning but was able to escape without a blemish. A leadoff walk and a one-out ground-rule double put two in scoring position for the Travelers. A fielder's choice, that didn't result in an out, loaded the bases. Hill got a huge strikeout before getting a groundball to Cintron, who shoveled it to Chen to get out of the inning.
After Tawa and Roberts recorded outs to start the inning, Vukovich smoked a ball right at the left fielder to end the Amarillo half of the fourth. Hill got the first two men out before giving up a double and a walk. A double steal put two in scoring position with just as many outs. Hill caught Ben Williamson looking for his fifth strikeout to escape the jam.
After a Kevin Graham line-out, Wilderd Patiño smacked his first hit of the game up the middle. Chen would hit into a 6-4-3 double play to keep the Sod Poodles scoreless. Dillon Larsen relieved Hill in the fifth, and promptly gave up a single up the middle. A passed ball allowed the runner to get to second and eventually to third on a groundout. A single scored the fourth Arkansas run of the game. The next two batters were able to get free passes to load the bases. A sacrifice fly made the score 5-0 before Larsen punched out his first batter to end the inning.
Amarillo looked to get things going in the sixth as Jesus Valdez earned a leadoff walk to flip the lineup over. Cintron flew out to center, and then Matt Beaty's poor luck continued on a lineout to right field. A Tawa groundout ended the inning. Gerardo Gutierrez pitched the most efficient inning of the game for the Soddies as he allowed just one single on his way to a scoreless frame.
A.J. Vukovich refused to let Amarillo get shut out as he crushed a 3-2 pitch onto the berm beyond the left-centerfield wall. This was Vukovich's sixth longball of the year. There would be no need for a seventh inning stretch, as Mercedes was able to finish his seven-inning complete game with only a single run against.
Arkansas took a 3-2 series lead, but Amarillo will have a chance to end their season-long, two-week road trip on a high note in the series finale in Arkansas at 1:35 P.M. Sunday.
NOTES:
SATURDAY NIGHT VUK NUKES: A.J. Vukovich launched his sixth home run of the year in game two against the Travs. His solo shot off Juan Mercedes in the sixth inning gave Amarillo their only run of the second game of the twin bill. It was Vukovich's first home run since hitting one last Saturday night in NW Arkansas. The D-backs no. 15-rated prospect is up to 32 home runs in his Amarillo career, four off the lead currently held by Tim Tawa as the franchise's all-time leader in round trippers.
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