Ivan Castillo had one of two home runs on the night for Amarillo. (Photo: Grant Wickes)
Sod Poodles 3 Tulsa Drillers 0
(Best of five series is tied at 2-2)
Jesse Scholtens came up big for the Sod Poodles. (Photo: Grant Wickes)
Key Statistics: SS Ivan Castillo 1-5, HR (1), RBI; RF Edward Olivares 2-4, 2B, HBP; LF Buddy Reed 1-3, HR (2) RBI; BB; RHP Jesse Scholtens (W, 1-0) 5.0 IP 5 H 3 BB K; RHP Jordan Guerrero 1.2 IP H BB 2 K; LHP Travis Radke (S) 2.1 IP H 2 K.
Prospect Watch: Jesse Scholtens came up big tonight with his mix of offspeed and fastball command to hold the Drillers scoreless through the five innings. Scholtens, 25, has given up two earned runs in 16.1 innings over his last three starts. The 2016 ninth-rounder was a mainstay for Amarillo through the first half of the season, but hit a rough stretch in July and August. He will likely be relied on for another heavy workload in 2020. … The Sod Poodles got things started quickly when the second batter of the game, Ivan Castillo, hit a line-drive home run to right field. The switch-hitter has hit in every playoff game. … In the second, Buddy Reed hit his second home run of the series and in the sixth, the Sod Poodles took advantage of a throwing error by the Drillers’ second baseman for the third run. … The story of the night, though, was the pitching, not only of Scholtens, but Jordan Guerrero and Travis Radke. Guerrero, 23, got hit hard in his first appearance in the series, but delivered over 1.2 innings. Radke has not given up an earned run in his last seven appearances. After logging zero save opportunities in 21 outings for Sod Poodles in the regular season, he’s closed out victories in his last two appearances. … The last Amarillo club in the Texas League, the Amarillo Gold Sox, were a Padres affiliate from 1976 to 1982 – Tony Gwynn played for them briefly in 1981. That club won the championship in their first year in a deciding fifth game. Maybe lightning will strike twice.
Mexicali native Adrian Martiniez in action. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Visalia Rawhide 4 Storm 3 (10 innings)
(The Rawhide win the best-of-five series 3-1)
Xavier Edwards hit .424 in the playoffs. Photo: Jerry Espinoza.
Key Statistics: 2B Xavier Edwards 3-5, 2B; SS Gabriel Arias 3-4, HR (2) 2 RBI; 3B Eguy Rosario 2-4, RBI; RHP Adrian Martinez 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 7 K, 0 BB; RHP Nick Kuzia 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, 1 BB; LHP Fred Schlichtholz 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, 1 BB; RHP Mason Fox (L, 1-1) 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 K, 1 BB
Prospect Watch: The Storm’s season came to an end in the bottom of the tenth inning, as the Mason Fox gave up a leadoff walk in front of a game-winning double. Lake Elsinore was down 3-0 in the fifth before rallying in the sixth inning for two runs on RBI singles by Gabriel Arias and Eguy Rosario. Arias came up big again with a game-tying home run to right-center in the eighth inning to send the game into extra innings. … Arias hit .281/.361/.531 in 36 postseason plate appearances with four extra-base hits including two home runs. He struck out just six times in the postseason, with four walks. … Second baseman Xavier Edwards had three more hits Saturday night and finished the playoffs with a .424/.500/.485 line in 39 plate appearances. The duo should make a very interesting Double-A double-play combination in 2020. As good as Arias has been at the plate through the final two months, his plus glove will always be the skill that gets mentioned first. … Mexicali native Adrian Martinez, 22, pitched well in his three games in the Cal League, striking out 20 batters in 15 innings against only a single walk across three starts. Signed back in the 2014-15 international free agent period, the big righty had Tommy John surgery early in 2016 and was slow to bounce back. But he’s added velocity and has the frame for a starter’s workload.
