The Sod Poodles were victorious by a final score of 11-6 Sunday night in front of 6,880 at HODGETOWN to mark their third straight win. Outfielder Taylor Kohlwey led the Amarillo offense with his 2-for-4 night with a walk, two runs and two RBI. Soddies starting pitcher Ronald Bolaños was brilliant as he went five and two-thirds innings and earned his second win. Bolaños allowed three runs on four hits and struck out eight Hooks batters.
The Hooks got an early jump in the top of the first when Bryan De La Cruz homered on the very first pitch of the game to give the Hooks the 1-0 lead. Corpus Christi plated one more run in the inning when Ronnie Dawson scored on a wild pitch delivered from Bolaños to push their lead to 2-0.
In the bottom of the first inning, Amarillo knotted the contest up at 2-2 when they plated two runs on two hits. The first run came courtesy of an Edward Olivares sacrifice fly to allow Taylor Kohlwey, who singled, to trot home. Ivan Castillo scored the second run of the inning after he doubled and scored on a Luis Torrens' RBI single.
The Sod Poodles tacked on two more runs in the second inning after Brad Zunica walked and Buddy Reed doubled to clear way for Kohlwey's two-RBI single to right field to give Amarillo the 4-2 advantage.
In the fourth, the Sod Poodles opened up the ballgame, scoring five runs in the half. Two consecutive singles by Peter Van Gansen and Kyle Overstreet led to Zunica's single to plate one run. Then, after a bunt single by Kohlwey to load the bases, Castillo plated Kyle Overstreet on a ground out to deep shortstop. The final runs of the inning came on Owen Miller's two-out, two-RBI single to center field to extend the Sod Poodles lead to 9-2.
Corpus Christi responded in the fifth inning with Osvaldo Duarte's home run to left field to cut the Amarillo lead to 9-3. But, in the bottom of the inning, Amarillo stretched the lead to 11-3 when Buddy Reed belted a two-RBI double to bring around Overstreet, who walked. Zunica, who also walked in the inning, advanced home on a passed ball by Hooks catcher Chuckie Robinson.
Abraham Toro bashed his 13th home run of the season in the top of the seventh inning to make the score 11-4. Then, in the eighth, the Hooks tacked on two more runs via a De La Cruz double to narrow the Sod Poodles lead to 11-6.
Soddies reliever Travis Radke came on in the eighth inning and tossed one and one-third innings to close out the ballgame, striking out four of the five batters he faced to secure the victory and series win for Amarillo.
The Sod Poodles will hit the road Monday and head to Midland for a three-game series before coming back home for a four-game set with the Frisco RoughRiders.
-Amarillo Sod Poodles
Sod Poodles/Provided