Melendez' Milestone Makes the Difference

After an extra innings heartbreaker on Tuesday night that slipped away, it looked like Frisco was about to cool off this hot Amarillo team. Down a run and sitting at 48 home runs wearing a Sod Poodles uniform, Ivan Melendez stepped to the plate and worked a 2-1 count before sending Hodgetown into a frenzy. Melendez tagged a Joshua Mollerus pitch just above the yellow line left of the triangle in right center for a three-run shot. That home run gave Melendez the Sod Poodles All Time Home Run record, but more important to him it gave his team the lead.

Ivan Melendez - Photo Credit: Steven Liles for Sideline Sports

“​​I was just trying to hit the ball in front, like (Christian) Cerda said, I was missing balls, flying balls back, so I just needed to look my contact point out in front and not swing under.” Melendez said of the go ahead home run. “It was about winning the game. Obviously, I'm not, you know, super selfish and like all the accolades, individual stats, it's just up to bat in a big moment, a big game, and we were just trying to win the game.“ 

Amarillo did just that. Zane Russell dispatched of the Roughriders in order in the ninth to give the Soddies sole possession of first place for the first time in 2025.

Jonatan Bernal who played in the Mexican League earlier this season, like the newest Sod Poodle Jimmy Endersby, turned in a quality start for Amarillo despite leaving behind. Bernal threw 6.0 innings of five hit baseball, striking out five, walking just one on 80 pitches and 54 strikes. 

All of the scoring on the night was scored via the long ball. Frisco took Bernal deep twice, charging the right hander with all three of his runs on the night. Abimelec Ortiz opened the scoring with a 2-Run shot that found the berm in near the foul pole in right. Sod Poodles outfielder Kristian Robinson matched that with a 2-run blast of his own off of Daniel Missaki, giving him 11 on the year to pair with great outfield play on the night. Frisco’s Cam Cauley wasted no time responding, taking the first Bernal pitch in the next inning 420 feet giving Frisco back the lead. 

The Sod Poodles strung singles together by Conticello and Cerda in the eighth to set up Melendez’ big moment.

Amarillo received multi-hit games from Cerda, Conticello and Groover who stayed hot with his sixth of the second half pushing his average to .310, .016 points higher than the closest player still in the Texas League.

Photo Credit: Emma McReynolds Photography