Sod Poodles Swept by Cardinals in Extras
Published on April 5, 2026 under Texas League (TL)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release
AMARILLO, TX - The Amarillo Sod Poodles (0-3) fell to the Springfield Cardinals (3-0), 6-4, in 10 innings on Sunday afternoon at HODGETOWN. Amarillo staged a ninth-inning comeback to send the game to extras, but their luck ran out as the Cardinals completed the three-game sweep.
What started as a pitcher's duel between Springfield's southpaw Mason Molina and Sod Poodles starter Ashton Izzi wound up being a tale of two bullpens. Both pitchers tossed five innings, with the only blemish on either side coming when the Sod Poodles drew first blood as Jesus Valdez drove in Jansel Luis with a two-out single in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Entering with a lead, Alec Baker followed in Izzi's footsteps and turned in two shutout innings where he allowed just two baserunners. But when Baker handed the ball over to Alfred Morillo, the complexion of the game changed completely. Springfield quickly loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth inning on two singles and a walk by the Cardinals bottom three hitters in their order.
With the lineup turned over, Jon Jon Gazdar turned on Morillo's first offering and sent the ball beyond the left field fence to put Springfield ahead by three runs with one swing of the bat.
Amarillo's bats put pressure on Cardinals reliever Domenic Picone in the home half of the ninth, cutting the deficit to 4-2 with Manuel Pena's RBI single. The tying run moved 90 feet from home two plate appearances later after Luis' RBI groundout. Down to their last out, Picone balked in the tying run, triggering the first extra-innings game of the season for both clubs.
In the top of the 10th, Springfield strung together a sacrifice fly from Jeremy Rivas and an RBI single from Gazdar to plate two runs. Picone stayed in the game and pitched a perfect inning, redeeming his blown save to earn the win.
The Sod Poodles will use tomorrow's off day to travel to Springdale, Arkansas ahead of their first road trip of the season. They open a six-game set against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (2-1) on Tuesday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
POSTGAME NOTES
LUIS YOURSELF: It was a big day for Arizona's 13th-ranked prospect (MLB Pipeline) Jansel Luis at the plate, who recorded all kinds of Double-A firsts...he collected his first hit at the level with a single in and stole his first of two bases in the first inning, along with collecting his first RBI in the bottom of the ninth.
H TO THE IZZI: Ashton Izzi was exceptional in his Double-A debut and needed just 49 pitches to get through five scoreless innings. He faced the minimum through his first four frames.
Texas League Stories from April 5, 2026
- Sod Poodles Swept by Cardinals in Extras - Amarillo Sod Poodles
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