AMARILLO, TX (May 6, 2026) -- The Amarillo Sod Poodles (15-14) defeated the Wichita Wind Surge (14-15), 3-1, on Wednesday at HODGETOWN. With strikeouts in abundance, the hosts return back to the win column to even the series at a game apiece.
Trotting out of the dugout for his sixth start of the year for the Soddies just after the 11 o’clock hour was Josh Grosz. Despite the unusual time of first pitch, the righty was unphased, striking out the side in order in the opening frame, all on swings-and-misses.
Following a home first where the Soddies were also set down in order, Wichita scratched the first run of the day in the top of the second after Billy Amick reached on a throwing error and eventually worked his way around the bases to score on a groundout.
The Soddies used speed to their advantage in the bottom half of the inning after Jansel Luis roped a one-out single to center and swiped second on the first pitch of the following at-bat. Not long after, an attempted steal of third by Luis was successful, but an errant throw by the Wichita backstop dribbled down the left field line, allowing the Amarillo third baseman to score the tying run.
Grosz continued to mow down hitters, keeping the Wind Surge bats at bay, eventually working into the fifth inning where he picked up a pair of punchouts to bring his strikeout total to 11 for the day.
Amarillo provided the boom in support of their starting pitcher’s excellence on the hill as Danny Serretti blasted one out to center field for a solo home run that broke the 1-1 tie. Shortly after, Angel Ortiz went way deep to right field, clearing the berm with a 451-foot moonshot to give the Soddies the two-run advantage after five full innings of play.
As the game turned over to the sixth, Jonatan Bernal entered out of the bullpen, bringing Grosz’s brilliant day to a close. The right-handed reliever was effective in relief, whittling his season ERA as a Sod Poodle down to 1.32 over his 2.0 IP in the matinee, picking up three strikeouts along the way.
The eighth and ninth innings went to Carlos Rey and Landon Sims respectively as the pair combined for two shutout frames while Sims finished things in the final inning to earn the save and secure the 3-1 Sod Poodles win.
POSTGAME NOTES
GROSZ DOMESTIC PRODUCT: Posting his best start of the year today was Josh Grosz as he struck out 11 batters over five innings...the 11 punchouts are the third-most he has recorded in a game in his career...he is the first Soddie to reach the double-digit strikeout mark since Dylan File when he fanned 10 batters on July 10, 2024 on the road at San Antonio.
ANGEL EYES: With a multi-hit effort and a solo home run in the fifth inning, Angel Ortiz raises his season batting average to .310 (27x87)...in his most recent three games, he is batting .455 (5x11) with two XBH and two RBI.