AMARILLO, TX (May 5, 2026) -- The Amarillo Sod Poodles (14-14) fell to the Wichita Wind Surge (14-14), 9-4, on Tuesday night at HODGETOWN. While the Sod Poodles returned home after a 12-game road trip, it was the visiting Wind Surge offense who was happier to be hitting at HODGETOWN.
Wichita put a bit of a hurting on Amarillo’s starter Daniel Eagen, beginning with Kala’i Robinson’s homer on a 2-2 pitch to lead off the second. A pair of walks followed and a wild pitch moved a runner up to third base, setting up a sac fly for Jose Salas to post a crooked number in the frame for the Wind Surge.
Eagen would give up another solo shot to Ricardo Olivar that put Wichita ahead 3-0, while Wind Surge starter Sam Armstrong navigated a minor injury he sustained in the bottom of the first to hold Amarillo without a hit over four innings pitched. But once reliever Ricky Castro toed the slab for the bottom of the fifth, hits came in bunches for the Sod Poodles.
Danny Serretti led off the frame with a single that Gavin Logan backed up with a double, and both men scored on a Druw Jones extra-base hit punched down the right field line. The Soddies kept pressure on Castro throughout the inning, loading the bases with one out before Ben McLaughlin grounded into a double play that preserved a 3-2 lead for Wichita.
After a scoreless sixth for both teams, the Wind Surge doubled their lead in the seventh, starting first on a double and stolen base by Salas that allowed him to score in the next plate appearance on Wichita’s second sacrifice fly of the night. Garrett Spain and Kyle DeBarge continued their team’s trend of extra-base hits on the night when the Wind Surge shortstop hit a two-run to complement Spain’s triple.
Manuel Pena kept the Soddies in striking distance with a two-out RBI single in the seventh and Logan brought Amarillo back within two on a sacrifice fly in the eighth, but their efforts would prove to be for naught when Olivar deposited his second home run of the night onto the right field berm for three runs of insurance in the top of the ninth. The Soddies went down in order with their last chance to bat in the bottom of the ninth as they dropped yet another series opener.
POSTGAME NOTES
SERIES WOE-PENERS: The Sod Poodles fell to 0-6 in series openers in 2026 with Tuesday’s loss, extending the club’s longest drought in club history to begin a season.
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LUIS YOURSELF:** With a pair of base hits, Jansel Luis recorded his ninth multi-hit game of the season...only Junior Franco has more multi-hit games (10) for the Sod Poodles this year.