Amarillo Seals the Series on Mother's Day Weekend, Ray Dominates Again, Robinson and Try Stay Hot
Another week, another series win. The Sod Poodles won a third straight weekend after starting 2-10 in their first 12 games of the season, but at theis point I think we can safely say that they have turned it around. Let's recap the weekend!
FRIDAY: 6-4 TULSA
Friday night would be the only game that the Sod Poodles drop on the weekend. The Amarillo offense would strike first in the first against Jacob Meador, a teammate of Alec Baker and Zane Russell at Dallas Baptist University, all of who would pitch in friday nights contest. Kristian Robinson led off the game with a walk that Tommy Troy followed up with a double, before Christian Cerda singled to give Amarillo an early 1-0 lead. Gavin Conticello would stretch the lead to 3-0 with a two run double after a nine pitch battle against Meador with the bases loaded in the third inning.
Jose Cabrera tossed a team season high 106 pitches for 70 strikes in 5.2 innings of work. The fast working Sod Poodle right hander gave up 9 hits, and would allow 3 earned runs that all came in the third inning after the Drillers hit 3 doubles off the bat of Aaron Bracho, Ezequiel Pagan, and Taylor Young in the frame to tie the game at 3-3. Cabrera would toss his third consecutive start of at least seven strikeouts inclduing setting a season-high in strikes looking with 23 before being relieved by Alec Baker with two outs in the sixth. Baker would eat innings for Amarillo pitching 2.1 innings, with the only flaw on his outing coming from a Chris Newell first pitch ambush solo shot that would give Tulsa their first lead of the game.
Ivan Melendez would waste no time in responding with an opposite field solo shot of his own in a 2-2 count from Tanner Kiest, Melendez fourth home run of the season and his third multi-hit game since making his 2025 debut. Unfortunately Tulsa would take the lead back in the ninth after Jhosmer Alvarez walked four batters in the inning, all coming after getting the first two outs, scoring a pair of runs to give them a 6-4 lead that would eventually be the final.
SATURDAY: 5-1 AMARILLO
The reigning Texas League Pitcher of the Week put up almost a carbon copy of the performance that won him that honor in his previous start this time rocking Amarillo's Calf Fries Alter Ego! Dylan Ray threw 6.0 innings of scoreless baseball, giving up 5 hits (all singles), 1 walk with seven strikeouts on a beautiful Saturday night at Hodgetown. “I’m able to get ahead in the count right now, getting weak contact early, and execute with two strikes. Guys are giving good offense and making plays on defense. Some things have to go your way in a start so that’s been going my way a little bit.” Ray said of his recent success on Saturday after setting season highs in strikes looking (20) and strikes swinging (17). “I made a few mechanical changes. I’m trying to be more proficient, throw more strikes, getting ahead of guys, and that’s the biggest case. As long as I’m getting ahead in the count and executing with two strikes then I’ll be in a good spot” Ray was exteremly successful with that in his last two outings, recording a 70% strike rate in those trips to the mound.
Jose Fernandez who played third base on Saturday and made an incredible acrobatic catch at the hot corner using all of his 6'3 frame to snatch a ball out of the air, would also drew first blood in the game with a sacrifice fly to score Caleb Roberts. Andy Weber blasted a two-run shot to extend the Amarillo lead off of Peter Heubeck in the fifth before Kristian Robinson came to the plate in the seventh looking to put the game away. “I was ready for the heater… And I wasn’t going to miss it.” He didn't miss it, Robinson. crushed the 2-1 fastball for his seventh home run of the year matching the mark that Groover had just set on friday. That home run pushed the Calf Fries lead to 5-0 and the bullpen combination of Gerardo Gutierrez and Alfred Morillo would do the rest. Gutierrez gave up on run on is two innings of work on a sacrifice fly and Morillo put together his best outing of the season, striking out the side to at least seal share of the 6-game set.
Tommy Troy stole a career high three bases after getting on four times with three walks and a single. "Collina definitley wants to be more aggressive on the base paths and it's been working. You know putting pressure on the defense, that's what you really want to do." Tommy Troy said before the team headed to Springfield on Sunday. "It's been getting us a lot more runs so I love it." Tommy isn't the only who is enjoying the change on the baes. “It’s really fun.” Robinson said with a huge smile on Saturday night. “I think we can put our team in a situation and put pressure on the pitcher. The goal is obviously to get some runs out of it, but more importantly to make the pitcher make pitches, and giving them another challenge that's coming from the bases and helping us make something out of an inning.” In April the Sod Poodles stole a Double-A low 6 steals for the entire month, but have already swiped 18 bases in May. Robinson himself has surpassed the teams April total with 7 stolen bases in 9 games.
SUNDAY: 6-1 AMARILLO
The Sod Poodles had a tall task going into Sunday, facing the Dodgers #5 prospect and the #5 left handed pitching prospect in baseball in Jackson Ferris. Ferris and Avery Short would duel matching eachother for the most part both giving up a run in the second inning, both runs came on groundouts: Jose Fernandez for Amarillo and the Tulsa's on a bases loaded ground out that Short kept the damage to a minimum. Short would go 4.1 innings of 1-Run ball for the Soddies that while it didn't have the length it still gave Amarillo enough time to get the bats going after being replaced by Zach Barnes.
The bats finally got to Ferris in the fifth. Fernandez singled before being picked off, Caleb Roberts singled and stole a base before Ivan Melendez drove him home, Pena joined the party with a single of his own. Kristian Robinson stayed hot at the plate and drove home Melendez and Pena, before LuJames Groover would bring him in with a single that would ultimately chase Jackson Ferris after a 5-1 deficit. Amarillo would add one more with another Groover single in the seventh closing the book on the offense for the series.
The bullpen looked as good as it had all year on Sunday. The trio of Zach Barnes, Luke Albright, and Landon Sims slammed the door shut, not giving up a single run and giving up four total base runners in their combined 4.1 innings of work.
With it being Mother's Day weekend a lot of the Soddies had loved ones, whether it be spouses or parents, present this including LuJames Groover. “It was good to see them, especially this past week. Last week was my dad's birthday, Mother's Day this weekend. So it was good to see both. I had a homer this week, had two hits on Mother's Day. A little present for both that's how I want to look at it. I love playing in front of them,They support me through this journey and my whole life. I'm happy I was able to play well this weekend for them.”
Major Move in Reno
There maybe a roster move on the horizon after the Diamondbacks #1 Prospect (#4 in all of baseball) was promoted to the big leagues last night leaving a possible spot open in Triple-A depending on the corresponding transaction from the Diamondbacks roster. If the Aces are in need of an infielder they may turn to the great eye of Tommy Troy who is currently slashing .367/.487/.467/.953 during his current nine game hit streak with a .458 BABIP while being aggressive on the base paths when he does find himself on. That is Troy's second hit streak of at least 9 games, and has also reached base in 29/31 games this season. This very well could be wishful thinking and the move will be entirely above the Double-A Level but Lawler's promotion is massive news in the organization regardless.
Jose Fernandez was removed from the game after colliding with Ivan Melendez on a pop up on Sunday and head to be removed from the game, I will follow up on this when I have more information. After a third straight series victory the Sod Poodles will now embark on one of the longest road trips possible in the Texas League. They are in Springfield Missouri for six games starting tomorrow before heading to Corpus Christi next week and heading home.
