The Sod Poodles fell 3-1 to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in the second tilt of their four-game series on Sunday afternoon at Arvest Ballpark.
Both starting pitchers delivered solid performances, with Amarillo righty Lake Bachar throwing six innings of three-run ball.
Bachar was matched by Northwest Arkansas right-hander Brady Singer, who picked up the win while allowing just a run in 6.1 innings of one-run ball.
All runs came in the third, when Singer allowed a leadoff single to Peter Van Gansen and later balked with Van Gansen on third base to bring in the game’s first run.
The Naturals responded against Bachar in the bottom of the third. Emmanuel Rivera belted a two-run homer to left centerfield to give Northwest Arkansas a 2-1 lead. The Naturals added another on Taylor Featherston’s RBI single to make it a 3-1 advantage.
Amarillo put together rallies late but could not score. The Sod Poodles had two on-base in sixth, seventh, and eighth innings but still trailed 3-1 heading to the ninth.
Northwest Arkansas relievers Andres Sotillet, Holden Capps, and Tyler Zuber combined to throw 2.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Zuber picked up his sixth save at Double-A this season.
A bright spot from Amarillo’s bullpen was righty Dauris Valdez, who tossed two scoreless frames in relief.
The Sod Poodles and Naturals continue their series on Monday night at Arvest Ballpark. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.
Amarillo sends lefty Nick Margevicius to the mound while Northwest Arkansas goes with righty Gerson Garabito.
-Amarillo Sod Poodles
