The Amarillo Sod Poodles rallied back from a six-run deficit Thursday night at HODGETOWN in front of another sellout crowd of over 6,400, tying the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. After Zach Kirtley broke the tie with a solo home run in the top of the ninth, the Sod Poodles rallied in the bottom of the ninth but fell short after Owen Miller came within a foot of a game-winner with a deep fly at the right-field wall. The two teams combined for 26 hits and 19 runs on the night.
One and two batters Taylor Kohlwey and Ivan Castillo highlighted to Sod Poodles offensively with their three-hit nights while Castillo added three RBI with a double and home run.
Springfield jumped out to the early 1-0 advantage in the first inning for a second consecutive night. Dylan Carlson led the game off with a double while Irving Lopez walked behind him. Yariel Gonzalez then lined a shot which ricocheted off of starter Bolaños and redirected to Hudson Potts at second base to turn and complete a double play, advancing Carlson to third. Brian O'Keefe added a two-out single to right field to plate the first run.
In the third, the Cardinals added on four runs on five hits to jump out to a 5-0 advantage. After a strikeout by Carlson to start the half, they knocked two singles and three doubles before ending the damage on a deep flyout to centerfield.
The Sod Poodles rallied in the bottom half with two outs when Kohlwey and Castillo went for extra-base hits on a triple and double respectively to bring the score to 5-2.
The Cardinals continued their scoring rhythm into the fourth inning when they plated three more to take an 8-2 lead courtesy of Gonzalez's three-run home run to plate Carlson and Lopez who walked and singled respectively.
The Sod Poodles added one back in the bottom of the fourth with Hudson Potts' 10th home run of the season to make it a five-run deficit at 8-3.
In the fifth, Springfield came right back with a run sparked by Scott Hurst's one-out double to plate Toerner and make it a 9-3 lead. But, in the bottom of the half, the Sod Poodles ran with a quick rally, crossing two runs thanks to a towering home run to right field by Castillo to cut the lead to 9-5.
Amarillo tightened things up in the bottom of the seventh when they brought the game within a run after rallying for three more runs. Buddy Reed sparked the frame with a leadoff double and scored right away after Peter Van Gansen singled up the middle. Then, with the bases loaded after a single by Kohlwey and walk to Castillo, Edward Olivares grounded into a double play to plate one. Miller finished the rally with a two-out ground-rule double to make it a 9-8 contest.
In the eighth, pinch-hitter Luis Torrens entered the ballgame in the pitcher's spot, and on a 1-1 pitch, he belted a solo shot to deep left-center field to tie the game at 9-9.
In the top of the ninth, Kirtley swung at the first pitch delivered to him and sent it over the left-field wall to quickly give the Cardinals back the lead at 10-9.
In the bottom half, Castillo represented Amarillo's tying run on his one-out single. Following a groundout by Olivares to put Castillo into scoring position, Miller skied a deep fly to the right-field wall, but came just short as it fell into the glove of Toerner's glove to end the game.
Ronald Bolaños made his seventh start for Amarillo, allowing eight runs on nine hits over four innings of work with six strikeouts. Carlos Belen made his Double-A debut and tossed two innings of one-run, three-hit ball.
Righty Dauris Valdez was locked in with two hitless, scoreless innings with three strikeouts while Evan Miller allowed the go-ahead run in the ninth with one inning of work.
The Sod Poodles begin a series tomorrow with the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, at HODGETOWN with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
-Amarillo Sod Poodles
