FRISCO, TX (September 17, 2026) -- The Amarillo Sod Poodles (1-1) defeated the Frisco RoughRiders (1-1), 12-7, on Thursday night at HODGETOWN in Game 2 of the Texas League South Division Series. A big day at the plate from Ben McLaughlin and an excellent outing from Brian Curley aided a historic comeback win to force game three in the Texas League South Division Series.
After the Sod Poodles went down in order in the top of the first, the RoughRiders went right to work and took advantage of some control issues that plagued Amarillo starter David Hagaman. The right-hander walked the bases full before allowing a two-run double to Gleider Figuereo and an RBI single off the bat of Malcolm Moore.
Hagaman was relieved after working his first inning pitch count to 30. It wouldn’t take long for the hosts to get to the bullpen, as Max Wagner roped a double to bring home another two runs and push the game to 5-0. Frisco tacked on another in the second with Sebastian Walcott leading off the inning with a homer to extend the advantage to six. Despite the significant hole, Amarillo started to fight back with Alberto Barriga going deep to left-center to begin the third.
Two outs were recorded in the following inning before Carlos Virahonda doubled to start a rally. Danny Serretti then chopped a ball to second base which looked to be a routine play to end the inning, but an errant throw took Frisco first baseman Arturo Disla off the bag and he was unable to corral it, allowing Virahonda to jog home on the error. Following a Barriga walk, Jean Walters worked a lengthy at-bat that resulted in a run-scoring single up the middle that cut the Sod Poodles’ deficit in half.
The comeback effort rolled into the fifth with Ben McLaughlin taking a 1-1 pitch the other way for an opposite field solo homer to make it a 6-4 ballgame. Brian Curley came back out for his second inning of relief to keep Frisco off the board and worked around a two-out walk to post another zero.
Barriga led off the sixth with a walk and circled the bases on a Walters bunt single that sailed up the right field line to put the fifth run of the night on the board for the Soddies. Now within a run, two consecutive two-out walks loaded the bases for Druw Jones who singled over the head of the Frisco shortstop to bring home a pair and give the Sod Poodles the 7-6 lead, erasing the six-run deficit.
The RoughRiders rallied with two outs in the bottom of the seventh by getting a walk and two consecutive singles to tie the game at seven, but Curley limited damage by catching Max Wagner looking at strike three to end the frame.
Amarillo loaded the bases with the game still deadlocked, two away, and Serretti at the dish. The switch-hitting infielder fouled off pitch after pitch before lining a bases-clearing double down the right field line to give the Soddies a three-run lead.
Before it was all said and done, McLaughlin went deep for the second time in the top of the ninth as his two-run blast pushed the score to 12-7, more than enough for Amarillo to comfortably walk away with the series-evening victory and force a win or go home game three tomorrow night in Frisco.
POSTGAME NOTES
COMEBACK KIDS: For the second time this season, Amarillo has erased a six-run deficit against Frisco to come back and win, last doing so on April 16 at HODGETOWN when they won 13-12 in 11 innings...it is the largest comeback victory in the Texas League postseason since San Antonio defeated Corpus Christi 9-8 in 11 innings after the Missions found themselves down 8-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning on September 7, 2018.
CURLEY FRIES: Tossing four innings of relief and earning the win for Amarillo tonight was Brian Curley...he allowed only one run with eight strikeouts in what was only his third career relief appearance...his previous two relief outings both happened earlier this season with High-A Hillsboro...tonight’s effort was the longest relief outing in Sod Poodles postseason history.