Soddies by Morning: Nearly No Hit, Soddies Skid Reaches Five

After the rotation was left short handed Tuesday morning by the promotions of both Spencer Giesting & Dylan Ray, Alec Baker answered the call. To add on one more variable to a crazy day, following a two hour rain delay pre-game the game would eventually be shortened to just seven innings. After being a reliever most of the year Baker got his first start on Tuesday and tossed 3 innings of 2 hit, no walk and 2 strikeout baseball.

The Drillers did all of their damage off of Baker in the first inning when Dodgers #24 prospect Noah Miller, who did not play in the first showdown between these teams, smacked a double to stay hot since returning from the injured list. Ezequial Pagan who dismantled the Sod Poodles in May, singled to drive Miller home to score the only earned run off of Baker, and after that he would lock in. The Sod Poodles right hander attacked the last 2.2 innings of his outing, not allowing a hit or a base runner at all until he was relieved by Gerardo Gutierrez.

Gutierrez ran into trouble, getting the first two outs and then walking three batters, hitting another, and allowing a Yenier Fernandez single all together resulting in Tulsa taking a 5-0 lead and a four run inning. Philip Abner had his best outing wearing a Sod Poodle uniform, getting four outs on just eleven pitches without allowing a run, and adding a strikeout. Conor Grammes also had a solid outing himself closing out the game, only allowing a walk in his one inning. 

Baker may have held the Drillers scoreless in his final 2.2 inning stretch, but Peter Heubeck took it a step further. Heubeck handcuffed the Sod Poodles hitters for 5.2 innings of no-hit baseball. The only people to reach for Amarillo did so by walking outside of a Caleb Roberts would reach on Tulsa’s 63rd error of the season in just game #52. Heubeck would mow his way through the Sod Poodles bats before finishing the night by getting Tommy Troy swinging for his seventh strikeout of the night. The Soddies sat just one out away from being no-hit for just the third time in the franchise, when Gavin Conticello stepped to the plate and shot a single into the six hole avoiding history.

The Sod Poodles will be back in action tomorrow at 7:05 PM with Avery Short (4.28 ERA - 4.94 FIP, 37 strikeouts, 18 walks) will take on fellow lefty and Dodgers #5 prospect Jackson Ferris.