Ivan Ends It: Melendez and Amarillo Walk it Off

Win number one of the second half for the Amarillo Sod Poodles was a magical one. After back to back loses to start the week, Amarillo got the start that they needed from reliever turned starter Alec Baker.

"Going into this being kind of new to the starting roll, I just wanted to execute knowing we're a little thin on the bullpen right now. 
So I'm trying to go as deep as I can in limited pitches." Baker said after pitching a season high 4.1 innings of shut out baseball, allowing just two hits in the process. "Cerda had a great game plan, called a great game, and I just tried to execute pitches deep into the game."

Christian Cerda was equally complimentary to his teammates throwing him strikes all night.

"It was a great job from the pitching staff. We were rolling since the first inning. Every pitch, we were dotting, and eventually, went our way." Cerda said on the night that Hodgetown, and Cerda himself, gave away Christian Cerda pennants to the Amarillo crowd.

The Sod Poodles catcher helped his staff out driving in Amarillo's third run of the game after Gavin Conticello drove in a run in the first, and Jean Walters fresh off a pitching appearance the night before drove in another in the second inning. After Cerda's single the Soddies would take a 3-0 lead.

The Travelers would strike back. Just as the Sod Poodles had before, Arkansas would score a run in three straight innings in the sixth, seventh, and eighth. Mariners #7 prospect (76th Overall) Michael Arroyo drove in two of those runs, including his first Double-A home run to tie the game in the eighth inning locking the score a three.

Hayden Durke and Landon Sims came in and did what they do best. Durke turned in his best performance as a Sod Poodle, pumping fastballs by a pair of Travelers before getting a ground ball to Jean Walters to end the ninth. Sims took the ball in the tenth, and despite a single and a ghost runner, the former National Champion worked out of the inning. The eleventh had the crowd a little more on their toes. Bill Knight started the inning on second base before Sims walked Lazaro Montes and Connor Charping singled to Conticello who's recent knack for throwing runners out might've been enough to keep Knight at third, and hold the lead. With the bases loaded Sims flipped a switch. The Sod Poodles closer struck out Caleb Cali, and forced Hogan Windish to ground a ball to Jean Walters for the biggest double play of the season so far.

Ivan Melendez walked to the plate with the Hodgetown speakers blaring Hangin' On by ERNEST & Morgan Wallen as the rain fell from the Amarillo sky, ready to end the game. Cerda had already bunted runner Ryan Waldschmidt over to start the inning and put him at third base.

“​​I was just trying to slow down the game." Melendez said postgame. "I felt like I got in like free swing mode, and I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit and send it to the outfield, knowing that we had two outs. I was just trying to find a hole to be honest.”

Melendez found that hole blooping a single that landed between three Travelers, sending the dugout and the Sod Poodles fans who had stayed through the rain in to a frenzy as Ryan Waldschmidt crossed homeplate in for the winning run in just his third game for the Soddies. It was Amarillo's first walk off hit of the season, and third walkoff win of the year.

The only Golden Spikes winner to play for The University of Texas has found his rhythm the past ten games, slashing .361/.439/.611/1.050 including multi-hit games in two of the first three to start the second half.

"I feel like we're at that point where we have a lot of our bats on our belt, and once you get to, like, 150 at bats, you know, the game starts to slow down." Melendez said. "Obviously, you're still going get out, and you're still going to punch out, but, you know, it's part of the game. It's all about slowing it down right now at this point for me."

After seeing multi-hit games from Manuel Pena, Gavin Conticello, Jean Walters, and of course Ivan Melendez the Sod Poodles will be looking to tie the series with Arkansas on Friday night to start the weekend.