MIDLAND, TX (May 3, 2026) -- The Amarillo Sod Poodles (14-13) split a doubleheader with the Midland RockHounds (18-9), taking game one, 9-2, while dropping game two, 3-2, on Sunday at Momentum Bank Ballpark. The Sunday split brings a close to a 12-game stretch away from HODGETOWN in which the Sod Poodles secured nine wins, a franchise record for most victories in a single road trip.
GAME ONE
Although Amarillo’s offense struggled against No. 4 Athletics prospect Wei-En Lin the night prior, Soddies hitters wasted little time knocking Arnold around in game one. Nine Sod Poodles stepped in the batter’s box in the top of the second inning as five runs came across in the frame.
Arnold did not do himself any favors to begin the inning, allowing Gavin Conticello to reach second base on a throwing error after hitting a chopper back to the mound. Danny Serretti drove him immediately with an opposite-field single to provide the Sod Poodles with a 1-0 lead,.
A bunt single by Angel Ortiz and hit-by-pitch to Gavin Logan loaded the bases for Junior Franco, who brought in two runs on a first-pitch single up the middle. A Druw Jones groundout moved two runners into scoring position and both wound up touching home on Manuel Pena’s base hit.
The Soddies did not let up as they scratched across another run in the third and poured it on in the fourth as Arnold’s worst start of his very young professional career continued. Already up 6-0 in the fourth inning, Amarillo used a flurry of doubles to tack on three more runs with contributions from Jones, Conticello, and Serretti.
Arnold was chased from the game with two outs in the bottom of the fourth after allowing nine runs on as many hits. On the other side, Avery Short kept Midland’s hitters in check over five shutout innings and allowed just three hits and one walk.
The RockHounds prevented a shutout in the sixth inning with Indigo Diaz making his first relief appearance after being activated off the injured list on an RBI single by Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. Midland put another run on the board in the bottom of the seventh against Alfred Morillo, but a last-gasp comeback attempt fell well short.
GAME ONE NOTES
SHORT N’ SWEET: Avery Short turned in his finest start of the season, blanking Midland over five full innings...it matches the longest outing by a Sod Poodles pitcher in 2026 and is the third start of five or more shutout innings in Short’s career with the Soddies.
FRANCO, MY DEAR...: In his ninth game at the bottom of the Sod Poodles batting order, Junior Franco was very productive with a pair of hits, runs, and RBI on top of stealing a base...he is the most productive nine-hitter (min. 9 G) in all of Double-A, slashing .438/.514/.688 as the second leadoff.
GAME TWO
Making his first start of the year for Amarillo in the second game of today’s doubleheader was Billy Corcoran. The righty worked around two walks in his first inning of work to keep the RockHounds off the scoreboard, allowing the Soddies to strike the first blow in the top of the second.
Gavin Conticello walked and Danny Serretti singled to provide an RBI opportunity for Jansel Luis. The shortstop delivered on an 0-1 pitch to bring Conticello across for the lead in the second. Corcoran looked strong on the hill to begin the home half of the second, but the RockHounds chipped away, getting two batters on with two outs, eventually propelling themselves into the lead as Clark Elliott doubled home two runs on a line drive down the right field line.
The Manuel Pena power surge struck again for the 10th time this season as the third baseman became the first Texas Leaguer to hit the double-digit home run mark with a solo blast to left field in the third to tie the game at two.
Both staffs turned in shutout frames in the middle innings, highlighted by Logan Mercado’s scoreless third and fourth innings on the hill. Carlos Rey also got in on the fun in the fifth, picking up a strikeout of Brennan Milone on his way to a three-up, three-down inning that kept the game tied.
Amarillo got to work in the sixth, using singles off the bats of Luis and Junior Franco to put a pair of runners on for the pinch-hitting Ben McLaughlin. Despite his 11-game hit streak and 21-game on-base streak coming to an end in the first game of the afternoon, the lefty came through and singled up the middle to load the bases full of Sod Poodles. The opportunity to put the visitors back in the lead was squandered however as the Midland staff recorded a strikeout and induced a groundout to escape the jam.
Landon Sims was called upon for Amarillo in the sixth and retired the side in order to send the game to the seventh. The Soddies once again had traffic on the basepaths and could not scratch a run. With the game eventually going to extras, the RockHounds capitalized after posting a scoreless top half of the eighth, walking off the Sod Poodles, 3-2 on a Brennan Milone single.
GAME TWO NOTES
HOUSE OF PENA: Collecting his 10th home run of the year in the third inning of game two today was Manuel Pena...he now has 24 home runs in his Sod Poodles career over 132 games with Amarillo, putting him in a tie for eighth-most in franchise history with Kristian Robinson.
YES SERRETTI: Staying hot at the dish upon his return to Amarillo was Danny Serretti...over the last week between Triple-A Reno and Amarillo, he batted .444 (8x18) with three XBH, five RBI, and a 1.246 OPS...his .542 OBP for the year leads the Texas League by 100 points (De Paula, TUL).