The Sod Poodles trailed 3-2 in the ninth inning on Tuesday night at Security Bank Ballpark before mounting a five-run rally as Amarillo clawed back for a 7-5 win over the Midland RockHounds.
With Amarillo trailing by a run, Rodrigo Orozco walked against lefty Cody Stull. Edward Olivares then drilled an RBI double off the left centerfield wall to plate Orozco and tie the game at 3-3. On the very next pitch, Owen Miller shot a base hit into right field to score Olivares and give the Sod Poodles a 4-3 edge.
That was just the start of Amarillo’s scoring in the ninth. After a walk to Luis Torrens, righty Angel Duno entered from Midland’s bullpen and surrendered a two-run single to Peter Van Gansen. A.J. Kennedy then cranked a double down the left field line to plate Van Gansen. The Sod Poodles had a 7-3 lead.
In the bottom half of the ninth, David Bednar struck out the first two batters and then allowed three consecutive doubles as Midland pulled to within 7-5. Bednar then induced a pop out to third base from Tyler Ramirez to end the ballgame.
Right-hander Kyle Lloyd made the start for Amarillo and went six innings while allowing three runs, two of which were earned. He gave up a pair of runs on two run-scoring doubles in the first inning as the RockHounds jumped out to a 2-0 advantage.
The score stayed that way until the fifth. Hudson Potts mashed a solo home run to left field off Midland starter Matt Milburn to put the Sod Poodles on the scoreboard. Potts’ seventh homer of the season and second in three games made it 2-1.
Milburn went seven innings and allowed just two runs in his outing. He gave up a leadoff double to Buddy Reed in the sixth. Reed would eventually score on a groundout from Ivan Castillo as the Sod Poodles cut their deficit to 3-2.
Before the ninth, righty Michel Baez tossed two scoreless frames out of Amarillo’s bullpen in relief of Lloyd. Baez collected his second win of the season.
The Sod Poodles and RockHounds play the rubber game of their three-game set on Wednesday evening. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m. The Sod Poodles send righty Lake Bachar to the mound.
-Amarillo Sod Poodles
