AMARILLO, TX (August 14, 2026) -- The Amarillo Sod Poodles (23-20, 59-52) defeated the Midland RockHounds (21-22, 53-58), 9-7, on Friday night at HODGETOWN. On a night that featured seven combined home runs and 16 combined walks, the Soddies outlasted the RockHounds to earn the victory.
Midland brought the lumber to begin play, using a one-out Devin Taylor solo homer in the opening frame to get in front early. Two more RockHounds reached base in the inning, but Avery Short did well on the hill for Amarillo to prevent further damage.
The lefty’s effort would be rewarded by Jordan Lawlar as the Big League rehabber tattooed a pitch to right-center to knot the score on his solo shot in the home half of the first.
A fairly pedestrian second inning preceded a third frame where Amarillo propelled themselves into the lead, first using Lawlar’s second solo blast of the evening. The scorching-hot Avery Owusu-Asiedu stepped up to the plate next and drew ball four to earn the free pass. The designated broke for second on the 1-1 pitch to Angel Ortiz and beat the throw to the plate on the two-bagger to make it a two-run ballgame.
The RockHounds responded with a two-run top of the fourth that brought the game back even. Luke Mann left the yard for the fifth time of the series as the two-run bomb tied the game. They would tack on two more in the top of the sixth to take a 5-3 lead as five consecutive singles yielded two runs on hits by Taylor and Leo De Vries.
Amarillo battled back in the home half as Jansel Luis led off the frame with a walk and a stolen base. He then scored easily on Junior Franco’s one-out double to cut the deficit in half. However, Bobby Boser made it a two-run lead for Midland once more with a solo blast to center in the seventh.
After already having homered in each of his first three games as a Sod Poodle, Owusu-Asiedu struck once more on a towering fly ball to left field that just cleared the fence for his fifth homer of the week, bringing Amarillo back within a run in the bottom of the seventh.
Two walks led off the home eighth, allowing Cristofer Torin to drive in the tying run with a single through the right side of the shifted infield. With the bases full not long after, Owusu-Asiedu drew a walk that brought in another and the Soddies plated another pair on a wild pitch and an Ortiz sac fly to cap the four-run frame. Tayler Montiel entered out of the Amarillo bullpen for the ninth and despite allowing a leadoff homer to Mann, he was able to retire the side and complete the save for the 9-7 Sod Poodles win.
POSTGAME NOTES
BREAKING THE LAWLAR: Checking in with a pair of solo homers in the first and third innings tonight was Jordan Lawlar...it is the third multi-homer game by a Sod Poodle in the last two games and the 12th multi-homer game this season overall...it is Lawlar’s first multi-homer game in an Amarillo uniform in a Soddies career that spans 119 games.
AOA-OK: Continuing to torment Midland batters this series after another strong effort at the dish tonight was Avery Owusu-Asiedu...his home run in the seventh tonight was his fifth home run in four games as a Sod Poodle...his four-game home run streak is currently one shy of the franchise-long of five set by Manuel Pena earlier this season.