TL1 Amarillo Sod Poodles

Zunica Lifts Sod Poodles in 2-1 Win over Frisco, Hodgetown Reaches 23 Consecutive Sellouts

Published on August 4, 2019 under Texas League (TL1)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release


AMARILLO, Texas - The Amarillo Sod Poodles took the series over the Frisco RoughRiders with a late 2-1 victory in the Sunday evening finale in front of 6,527 fans to mark the 23rd consecutive sellout at HODGETOWN.

In the bottom of the eighth, with two outs and the game tied at 1-1, Brad Zunica hit a sharp RBI single to plate the go-ahead second run. He finished the night going 2-for-3 and plated the first Sod Poodles run.

Lake Bachar made his 16th start for the Sod Poodles, tossing six and two-thirds innings of three-hit, one-run ball with two walks allowed and seven strikeouts, getting a no-decision. Right-hander Dauris Valdez, who picked up his first win of 2019, tossed one and one-third scoreless and hitless innings in relief while David Bednar closed the door yet again in the ninth to record his team-leading 10th save.

The final contest got off to a slow start offensively with a combined two hits allowed over the first three frames, including a first at-bat double by Owen Miller.

Following an actionless top of the fourth, the Sod Poodles broke through. Peter Van Gansen led off the half with a single. Zunica, who was substituted into the game for Edward Olivares after he exited with a lower-body injury, followed with a double but would not plate the first run after a successful relay from right field tagged out Van Gansen at home. However, Miller came in clutch with his second double of the evening to make it a 1-0 Sod Poodles lead.

The lead was not held long though as Frisco's Ryan Dorow tied the game in the next inning on his solo home run to left field and make it a 1-1 score.

In the seventh, Bachar got into trouble after Frisco sparked a two-out rally with Michael De Leon's single and Dorow walk. Reliever Valdez took over for Bachar and, after a walk to load the bases, he got out of the jam with a lineout to left field to keep the game tied.

After another scoreless inning delivered by Valdez in the eighth, Amarillo rallied with two big hits to take the late advantage. Buddy Reed led off with a single and was moved to second after a groundout by Taylor Trammell. After a flyout by Van Gansen, Zunica lined a single to right field, bringing around the speedy Reed to give the home squad the 2-1 lead before he was thrown out at second base stretching a double.

Bednar tossed a three up, three down ninth with one strikeout on his line.

The Sod Poodles hit the road for a week-long road trip beginning tomorrow. The Sod Poodles will play three in Midland before heading down to Frisco for another four-game series.

NOTES:

Tomorrow's Preview: The Sod Poodles start a three-game series Monday in Midland. Southpaw Nick Margevicius will take the mound as he faces off against righty James Kaprielian for the RockHounds.

Four Straight: With their 2-1 victory over the Frisco RoughRiders, the Sod Poodles have won four straight series dating back to July 19 when Amarillo faced off against Northwest Arkansas. The fourth straight series win marks the longest consecutive series win streak for the Soddies. The previous streak was two series.

Multi Miller: Owen Miller collected his 37th and 38th extra-base hit Sunday as he hit two doubles against Frisco. Miller ranks seventh in the Texas League with his 38 extra-base hits this season.

Wisconsin Cheddar: Lake Bachar was excellent Sunday afternoon against the RoughRiders as he tossed 6.2 innings where he only allowed one earned run on three hits. Bachar struck out seven batters marking the seventh time in sixteen starts ha has struck out seven or more batters. Bachar picked up the no-decision Sunday night.

Time To Restart: Sod Poodles catcher Luis Torrens had his 16 game hit streak snapped Sunday against the RoughRiders. During Torrens 16-game streak, he batted .446 (56 AB) with 5 HR, 16 RBI, 14 R, and a .500 OBP. Torrens' longest career hit streak is 21 games, which was recorded in 2014 (6/28-7/26 with Staten Island). His hit streak is the third-longest in the Texas League and tied for fourth in Double-A this season.

BAM! POW!: Luis Torrens and Hudson Potts hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning Saturday night against the RoughRiders. The Sod Poodles have now hit three pairs of back-to-back home runs this season: Miller/Torrens (4th, 4/24@SPR), Olivares/Potts (4th, 5/5 vs. ARK).

Shutting The Door: David Bednar recorded his tenth save of the season Sunday night against Frisco. Bednar's save ranks first among the Sod Poodles pitching staff and tied for third in the Texas League in the category.

Sellout Streak: Following Sunday's game of 6,527 fans at HODGETOWN, the Sod Poodles have hosted 23 straight sellouts and 33 overall so far during the 2019 season in 53 home games.

PVG: Sod Poodles outfielder Peter Van Gansen belted his eighth home run of the season Saturday night at HODGETOWN. The long ball was the first muti-run home run for Van Gansen this season.

Ultimos Diez: In his last 10 games, Buddy Reed is batting .300 (9-for-30) with a home run, three RBI and four runs with four stolen bags.

Buddy "The Flash" Reed: Sod Poodles outfielder Buddy Reed stole his 16th base of the season Sunday night. Reed is six stolen bases away from 100 career stolen bags.

It's Clobbering Time: The Sod Poodles four home runs on Saturday night tied a season-high in home runs hit as a team in one game. The last time they reached the feat was on May 5 against Arkansas at HODGETOWN.

Double-A Leaders: The Sod Poodles lead all of Double-A baseball with a .266 team batting average this season. They rank second in runs scored this season (543), trailing only the Corpus Christi Hooks (566).

Among the TL's Best: The Sod Poodles have four players among the Texas League's top-10 in batting average: Ivan Castillo (.327 - 1st), Luis Torrens (.299 - 4th), Edward Olivares (.297 - 5th), and Owen Miller (.296 - 6th).

Swing And A Miss: The Sod Poodles pitching staff ranks third in all of Double-A with 1036 strikeouts this season. Amarillo trails fellow Texas League foes Corpus Christi (1110) and Arkansas (1049). Four of the top five clubs in the category are from the Texas League with Springfield ranking in fourth place with 1034 strikeouts.

Free Pass: MacKenzie Gore walked a career-high four batter Friday night against the RoughRiders. Before Friday night Gore held a career-high of three walks three times with the last coming on July 2nd at High-A Rancho Cucamonga.

Season Best: Starter Kyle Lloyd collected a season-high nine strikeouts on Thursday in the series opener against Frisco. He earned his sixth win (third consecutive) after allowing four runs on six hits and one walk.

Hosed: Buddy Reed recorded his 14th outfield assist Saturday against the RoughRiders. Reed leads the team with his 14 outfield assists. Reed has recorded nine of the twelve assists from center field, two from right field, and now three from left field.

Starting Strong: Sod Poodles starting pitching has recently been excellent. In the last nine games, Amarillo starters have allowed just 17 ER in 57.0 IP, which totals a 2.68 ERA.

1,200 Wins: Sod Poodles inaugural manager Phillip Wellman earned his 1,200-career regular-season win as a Minor League Baseball manager Tuesday night. Wellman currently sits 13th in total wins among active MiLB managers. Wellman is in his 20th season as a minor league manager. Wellman's managerial career began in 1992 with the Baltimore Orioles Gulf Coast League affiliate. He has also managed Winston-Salem (Cincinnati Reds High-A) of the Carolina League (1996), Burington (Cincinnati Class A) of the Midwest League (1997-98), Chattanooga (Cincinnati AA) of the Southern League (1999, 2001-2003), Mississippi (Atlanta AA) of the Southern League (2007-2010) and Arkansas (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim AA) of the Texas League (2014). He spent the 2016-2018 seasons as the manager of the San Antonio Missions (San Diego Padres AA), before being transferred to Amarillo with the change in affiliate locations.

July Joy: Amarillo went 18-10 in the month of July, which was the best record in the month of July among Texas League teams. It's the best month of the season for the Sod Poodles. In May the Soddies went 16-11, which was the team's only other winning month this season.

Upcoming: Amarillo will head back on the road for a seven-game road trip starting Monday as they will travel to Midland and Frisco.

Check out the Amarillo Sod Poodles Statistics

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Texas League Stories from August 4, 2019


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