The Sod Poodles fell in their series finale against the Tulsa Drillers at ONEOK Field on Sunday afternoon. The Drillers scored two runs in the eighth inning to edge past Amarillo, 5-3.
Tulsa scored two early runs against lefty starter Adrian Morejon. Zach McKinstry hit a run-scoring single in the first followed later by a bases loaded walk as the Drillers took a 2-0 lead.
The Sod Poodles responded in the third. Peter Van Gansen led off the frame with a home run to right field, his third solo shot of the series. Later in the frame, Edward Olivares brought in a run with a sac fly to tie things at 2-2 against Tulsa starter Parker Curry.
Right-hander Ronald Bolaños delivered 5.1 solid innings out of Amarillo’s bullpen. Bolaños allowed just one run on six hits while striking out six batters. The run came in the seventh inning as Zach McKinstry hit an RBI single with the bases loaded to put the Drillers ahead, 3-2.
Dauris Valdez replaced Bolaños and recorded the inning’s final out to keep it a one run deficit.
Amarillo pulled even in the eighth. Olivares began the frame with a single against Tulsa lefty Edward Paredes and would later come into score on a sac fly from Luis Torrens. The run made it a 3-3 ballgame.
In the bottom of the eighth, righty Michel Baez entered from Amarillo’s bullpen. He would load the bases and then allow back-to-back RBI singles from Chris Parmalee and DJ Peters. The Drillers led 5-3 after eight innings.
In the ninth, righty Jordan Sheffield secured the win for Tulsa with a scoreless frame.
The Sod Poodles, who won the Texas League South First Half Championship, now enter the three-day Texas League All-Star Break. The 2019 Texas League All-Star Game is on Tuesday night at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Amarillo is represented by seven players on the South Division team.
Regular season play resumes on Thursday, June 27, as the Sod Poodles begin a four-game set against the Corpus Christi Hooks at HODGETOWN. First pitch in downtown Amarillo is at 7:05 p.m.
-Amarillo Sod Poodles
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