Sod Poodles pitcher Kyle Lloyd delivered seven scoreless innings on Thursday night at Hammons Field, powering Amarillo to a 3-1 win in the middle game of a three-game series against the Springfield Cardinals.
Lloyd, who lowered his ERA to 3.34 in the win, allowed just four hits and struck out four batters. Lloyd picked up his fifth win of the campaign.
The right-hander allowed leadoff doubles in the second and third, but worked around the hits in both innings. In the seventh, he dealt with two runners on and nobody out, but Lloyd induced a double play ball en route to another scoreless frame.
Buddy Reed set the tone in Amarillo’s win, belting a two-run homer to left field in the third inning off lefty Evan Kruczynski. Reed’s 13th blast of the season gave the Sod Poodles a 2-0 advantage.
The Soddies collected another run in the sixth against Springfield reliever Roel Ramirez to make it a 3-0 lead.
In the eighth, righty Dauris Valdez got the first two outs of the inning but then allowed a solo home run to Dylan Carlson as the Cardinals made it a 3-1 game.
Evan Miller tossed a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his fourth save in the Texas League and 14th overall this season.
The Sod Poodles and Cardinals play the rubber game of their three-game set on Friday night. Amarillo sends lefty MacKenzie Gore to the hill and Springfield goes with righty Angel Rondon. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m.
The ballgame is aired on 940 AM KIXZ and via streaming platforms. Pregame coverage begins at 6:50 p.m.
-Amarillo Sod Poodles
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