NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR (August 8, 2026) -- The Amarillo Sod Poodles (21-17, 57-49) defeated the Arkansas Travelers (18-20, 59-48), 8-4, on Saturday night at Dickey-Stephens Park. The Soddies got back in the win column after a strong day at the plate from their third baseman led the way.
Amarillo got off to a good start as Avery Short needed only seven pitches to toss a 1-2-3 first inning for the Soddies. The efficient opening frame by the lefty allowed the visitors an opportunity to be the first in the run column for the night.
Jansel Luis smacked a one-out triple to center field as the three-bagger marked his 100th knock of the season. Following immediately after with his 11th home run of the year was Ben McLaughlin as the two-run shot gave the Soddies the lead in the second inning.
The inning rolled on with Jean Walters legging out an infield single before the switch-hitter stole second base to set up a run-scoring opportunity for Trent Youngblood. The leadoff batter delivered, hitting a sharp line drive to right field that allowed Walters to complete his trip around the sacks and score Amarillo’s third run of the inning.
The three-run frame would not go without opposition, however. Arkansas plated two in the home half of the second after Josh Caron walked with two outs and scored on Caleb Cali’s two-run blast.
In his fourth game on rehab, Jordan Lawlar singled and swiped a bag in the top of the third. Luis came through later in the frame with a two-out single to plate Lawlar and extend the Amarillo advantage.
Arkansas made that lead short-lived as the Mariners’ 3rd-ranked prospect slugged a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the third to knot the score. Gavin Logan stepped up to the dish in the top of the fourth and contributed to the back-and-forth scoring by working his way around the bases on subsequent groundouts and sprinted home on a wild pitch to put the Soddies back in front.
Amarillo grabbed another trio across the sixth and seventh innings, using a well-placed bunt from Walters, an inning-extending error in Alberto Barriga’s at-bat, and Luis’ third hit of the night to bring the Soddies’ run total to eight.
The bullpen combination of Alec Baker, Sawyer Hawks, and Alfred Morillo combined for six innings of relief where they didn’t allow a single hit, shutting out the Travelers from the fourth inning on to secure the 8-4 Amarillo victory.
POSTGAME NOTES
LUIS YOURSELF: Checking in with a three-hit game that featured a double, a triple, two RBI and a stolen base was Jansel Luis...his second inning triple was his 100th hit of the season, becoming the first Sod Poodle to reach the century mark in 2026...he is the fourth Soddie this season to have multiple games with 3+ hits and a stolen base...both such games for Luis coming against the Travelers.
GRAN TORIN-O: A seventh-inning single extended Cristofer Torin’s hitting streak to seven games where he is batting .310 (9x29) with a six runs scored, two stolen bases and a .754 OPS over that span (7/29-c).