All good things must come to an end and the Amarillo Sod Poodles saw that coming during this past weekend at Hodgetown.
For the first time in six series, the Sod Poodles didn’t emerge with a series victory over their opponent when they hosted the Northern Arkansas Naturals for six games at Hodgetown. In fact, they suffered a series loss when they fell to the Naturals 9-6 on Sunday to conclude the series, as Northwest Arkansas left town with a 4-2 series victory.
That still didn’t mean the Sod Poodles (34-23) still weren’t in good shape with two more series left in the season. They still hold a comfortable lead in the Texas League South division with 12 games left, and if they play only .500 they’re all but guaranteed of winning the second half title.
When they go on the road to Arkansas for six games starting Tuesday, they’ll not be carrying much momentum with them, at least as far as the win column goes. They had a franchise record of six straight series wins prior to dropping their series to the Naturals (31-26), but they also now bear the burden of three straight losses to end the series.
The Soddies knew they weren’t going to win the series after Saturday’s 9-2 loss. That was a harbinger of tough times over the weekend, as the difference was the Naturals scoring seven runs in the top of the seventh to take control of the game.
There was still a chance to salvage a series split Sunday. The Naturals took a 4-0 lead in the top of the second, but the Soddies put together a big offensive frame in the bottom of the inning to tie it.
Jose Fernandez, Ben McLaughlin and Christian Cerda opened the inning with consecutive singles off Naturals starter Ethan Bosacker to load the bases. Caleb Roberts then showed why he’s who the Sod Poodles like to have come up with the bases juiced, as he launched another clutch hit with a grand slam to right field to tie the game 4-4.
That tie lasted only two pitches to start the third inning, though, as Spencer Nivens hit a solo shot to right off Soddies starter Alec Baker to give Northwest Arkansas the lead for good at 5-4.
The Sod Poodles went hitless for the next three innings until getting three hits in the sixth. However, that didn’t produce a run, as Jean Walters singled to right and Ben McLaughlin was thrown out trying to score the tying run from second to end the inning.
Northwest Arkansas then put the game out of reach on a pair of two-run homers, as Nivens hit his second one of the game in the seventh, and Carson Roccaforte did the same in the eighth to make it 9-4.
The Sod Poodles did make things interesting in the ninth. With two outs and the bases loaded, Gavin Conticello singled to left to bring home two runs, cutting it to 9-6 and knocking Naturals reliever Christian Chamberlain out of the game.
Fernandez, who’s tied for second in the Texas League in RBIs, then came on and represented the tying run. However, Mauricio Veliz got Fernandez to hit into a force to end the game and earn the save.
Finally feeling at home
The Sod Poodles had an exceptional starting pitching performance during the series from somebody who wasn’t even with the team at the beginning of the season but who was familiar with the Texas League.
Left-hander Mitch Bratt set the tone for the series in Tuesday’s series opener with one of the strongest starting efforts seen at Hodgetown this season. Bratt went seven innings, giving up four hits, striking out eight and walking none while giving up two runs (one unearned) in an 11-2 victory.
Bratt started the season in the Texas Rangers organization, and was with their Double-A affiliate the Frisco RoughRiders, Amarillo’s TL rival. However, Bratt was traded from the Rangers to the Soddies parent club Arizona Diamondbacks as part of the trade which sent Merrill Kelly from the Diamondbacks to the Rangers.
It was a good a game as Bratt had thrown for anybody in the league this season, regardless of his uniform, as he’s now ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the Diamondbacks organization.
“We had a really good game plan and trusted our catcher Gavin Logan,” Bratt said. “I think we did a really job of executing that with so many left-handed hitters in their lineup, and with me being left-handed it made it harder for them from the angle I throw.I want to say everything was working and I was throwing strikes where I wanted.
“I got traded over from the Rangers and we share a complex with the Royals (the Northwest Arkansas parent club) and we saw them every week, so I got into the routine of seeing the same guys over and over and I think that helped me a lot.”
What also didn’t hurt Bratt was having pitched at hitter-friendly Hodgetown before as a member of the RoughRiders. He doesn’t underestimate that previous experience.
“It honestly helped that I played her before with Frisco. It’s about understanding how the ball flies here. I knew I what I was coming into. If they put a good swing on it it’s going to be a home run, but at the end of the day I’ll put my odds on making good pitches and having successes.”
What could have been
The Sod Poodles could have swept the first three games of the series and come out with a series split, but a 9-8 extra inning loss on Wednesday sabotaged that.
With the game tied 3-3 in the seventh, the Soddies went up 6-3, with Contecello providing the big hit with a go-ahead two-run homer. But the bullpen melted down in the final two innings, as the Naturals scored three runs off normally reliable reliever Landon Sims, who walked in a run and gave up a solo homer to Gavin Cross to start the ninth as Northwest Arkansas took a 7-6 lead.
Conticello had another big hit with an RBI single to tie it in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. However, Roccaforte hit a two-run homer off Phillip Abner in the 10th to make it 9-7.
In the bottom of the inning, Jean Walters grounded into a force out to bring home Fernandez to cut it to 9-8 with two outs. Walters represented the tying run, but Pena flew out to left to end it.