Soddies by Morning: Extra Inning Magic Ends the Losing Streak

Just one out away from being no-hit in the series opener on Tuesday, LuJames Groover, Avery Short, and the Sod Poodles had other ideas on Wednesday night.

Groover tattooed a 1-1 pitch from the Dodgers #5 prospect Jackson Ferris to extend the Amarillo lead to 3-0. It was only Ferris third home run given up this year, all coming in the lefties last four starts. Amarillo would knock him out of the game 3.1 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Before all of the drama later, Avery Short did work. Short came into the came with the lowest ERA of the current starters and gave Amarillo what they needed on Wednesday night, tossing 6.2 innings of 8 hit baseball, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, no walks and six strikeouts.

The Drillers finally got on the board vs Short when Damon Keith took him to right center field in the sixth for his only hit of the series so far. The 2-run shot made it a 3-2 game and would be the only earned runs that would score off of Short, with an unearned run scoring in the next inning tying the game and denying Short of a desision. With that start the only remaining Sod Poodles southpaw starter has an ERA from the last month of starts of 2.38 (3.72 FIP) with just a 4.9% BB rate in that stretch.

Alfred Morillo would relieve Short and only face two batters, the first reaching a Jose Fernandez error and the second scoring that third run for Tulsa to tie the game, but Kevin Graham hosed Taylor Young at home trying to take the lead and saving the game. Luke Albright pitched a nearly spotless eighth and ninth, allowing just a single baserunner on a walk and striking out a pair.

With Graham as the automatic runner on second to start the tenth, Kristian Robinson stepped to the plate staring out at Antonio Knowles who had alllowed just 3 earned runs in all of the month of May. Robinson took the first pitch he saw a lined it into center field to put Amarillo back out in front and they didn't look back. After Robinson stole his thirteenth bag of the year, Groover picked up his third RBI of the night driving Robinson in with a single to extend the lead to 5-3. Manuel Pena would deliver the final blow with his second home run of his campaign, the 2-run shot put the lead at 7-3.

The Sod Poodles brought in Landon Sims to try and put the losing streak to bed, and he did just that. Sims mowed down the Tulsa hitters, striking out two of the three he faced and not allowing a Driller to reach

Amarillo saw 6 men reach at least twice last night including Groover reaching three times, and Fernandez picking up his fourteenth double of the season.

Amarillo - RHP Roman Angelo

6.26 ERA - 7.67 FIP / 41 K - 30 BB

After three homers in his last start, Angelo now leads the Texas League in home runs allowed at 14 on the season. In his last start vs Tulsa Angelo allowed four runs, but just two earned, walking five batters and striking out six in 5.1 innings of work. On the bright side, road Angelo have been two completely different pitchers, on the raod this year Angelo has recorded a 2.60 ERA, only allowing two home runs and hitters averaging just .161 against him away from Hodgetown.

Tulsa - RHP Chris Campos

5.09 ERA - 4.93 FIP / 34 K - 11 BB

Campos had one of his best outings of the season against the Sod Poodles the first time out, only allowing two runs in 5.2 innings. The right hander is coming off of a start where he couldn't escape the Wind Surge, getting through just 1 inning, as five of the nine batters he faced, and allowing five runs to come across.