Soddies by Morning: Springfield Uses Two Huge Innings to Sink the Sod Poodles Home Opener
There were fireworks after the game, but Springfield put together their own fireworks show in the 5th and 9th to sink Amarillo 16-7 in their home opener.
A former Sod Poodle told me last night when asked about what to do when the wind is blowing out of Hodgetown: “Pray harder.” After a clean first inning from Amarillo starter, Arizona’s #26 prospect Roman Angelo, the Cardinals took advantage of the Panhandle wind blowing out early, homering in 4 consecutive innings between the 2nd and the 5th. Jeremy Rivas, Dakota Harris, and Chase Davis (twice) all went deep off of Angelo, with the starter eventually giving up 8 earned runs in 4 ⅓ innings, six runs of damage coming in the 6th inning alone to make it 9-1. Springfield starter Pete Hansen pitched in his home state of Texas for the first time since playing for the Longhorns in Austin, and he did not disappoint, tossing 4 innings of 1 run ball, 7 strikeouts, and 1 walk.
Chase Davis was a problem for Amarillo pitching all night. Davis reached base 4 times tonight, going ⅗ driving in 5 runs and drawing a walk, while also playing incredible defense in center field to rob Amarillo of much needed baserunners. The center fielder was a part of a quartet of Cardinals with 3 hits, also including Leonardo Bernal, Dakota Harris, and Jeremy Rivas who also joined Davis in the 5 RBI club on the night.
Christian Cerda launched a home run to left field in the 2nd inning off of Springfield starter Hansen, to draw the only blood off of him and tie the game at 1-1 before Springfield took it right back and never gave it up. Cerda and Jose Fernandez were the only two Sod Poodles to find the hit column twice, collecting 4 of Amarillo’s 7 hits for themselves. LuJames Groover extended his hit streak to 4 games to start the season with a double, while Gavin Conticello saw his streak snapped. Luke Albright put together one of the few highlights on the mound of the night, going 2 scoreless innings, only giving up 2 hits, 0 walks and 3 strikeouts to stop the bleeding for a while.
Amarillo cut the lead to two with a pair of 3-Run innings in the 7th and 8th thanks to a RBI base hit from Fernandez, and extra base hits from Weber (Home Run) and Caleb Roberts (Double) driving in runs.
A nightmare top of the 9th that included 4 of their 5 errors on the night, 2 by second basmen Tommy Troy (3 on the night), that led to Springfield’s second inning of the night with six or more runs, putting Amarillo away for good. This wasn’t the start that the Sod Poodles wanted for their homestand, but part of the reason we love baseball is they’ve got one more tomorrow.
Today’s Pitching Matchup:
Springfield – Brycen Alexander Mautz #49
Mautz has struggled in proball since being taken in the 2nd round out of San Diego in 2022. Mautz has produced a record of 3-13 in 2024 for High-A Peoria, giving up 20 HR in 24 starts. Those Home Run numbers do not bode well coming into the boom box of wind and elevation that is Hodgetown.
Amarillo – Jose Cabrera #27
Unlike Mautz, Cabrera’s 2024 season in Hillsboro last year was a beauty. The 6’3” right hander made 11 starts in his second stint in High-A for the Hops and posted a 2.32 ERA accompanied by 62 K and 18 BB. He will make his Double-A Debut tonight.
Player To Watch
Leonardo Bernal
Sod Poodle fans got a taste of what the #7 prospect in the Cardinals system was made of last night. Bernal reached base 5 times in the series opener on Tuesday night. It really doesn’t matter what hand the pitcher throws with Bernal finds the baseball and puts it in play, while also possesing a good eye.
