The Amarillo Sod Poodles are Texas League champions once again.
And they certainly didn’t make it easy on anyone’s nerves.
Amarillo survived a late Springfield rally Wednesday night at Route 66 Stadium, beating the Cardinals 6-4 in Game Three of the Texas League Championship to secure the third league title in franchise history.
It was the kind of championship game that had just about everything: big defensive plays, clutch hitting, bullpen escapes, a massive go-ahead home run and one final tense ninth inning before the celebration could begin.
Amarillo strikes first
Facing St. Louis Cardinals top pitching prospect Liam Doyle, the Sod Poodles refused to be intimidated.
Doyle quickly retired the first two Amarillo hitters in the opening inning, but Carlos Virahonda kept things alive with a single up the middle. Avery Owusu-Asiedu followed with a liner into the left-center gap, and a Springfield fielding error allowed Virahonda to race home with the first run of the night.
The Sod Poodles flashed some leather in the second when Jean Walters made a spectacular leaping catch to take away a Springfield hit.
The Cardinals still managed to put two runners aboard, but Amarillo starter Mason Marriott escaped the threat with back-to-back strikeouts, including one after battling back from a 3-0 count.
Springfield finally broke through in the third.
Rainiel Rodriguez launched a two-run homer to left to put the Cardinals in front 2-1. Springfield added another run on a well-executed hit-and-run before Dawson Brown came up with a huge 1-6-3 double play to end the inning and keep Amarillo within two.
Defense keeps the Soddies alive
For the next couple of innings, Amarillo’s defense made sure Springfield couldn’t pull away.
Ben McLaughlin made a diving stop on a hard ground ball down the first-base line to prevent extra bases in the fourth. Brown followed with his second double play of the night in the fifth.
Those plays became even more important once the Sod Poodles’ bats finally came alive.
Owusu-Asiedu reached on a Springfield throwing error to start the sixth before Druw Jones doubled to put two runners in scoring position.
Angel Ortiz jumped on the first pitch he saw and ripped it through the left side, scoring both runners and tying the championship game at 3-3.
Suddenly, the Soddies had all the momentum.
Owusu-Asiedu delivers the championship swing
Cristofer Torin opened the seventh with a double to left, but Springfield appeared close to escaping the inning after recording two outs.
Then Owusu-Asiedu stepped to the plate.
He attacked the first pitch, crushing a breaking ball 430 feet to left-center for a two-run homer.
Just like that, Amarillo was back in front, 5-3.
Springfield immediately threatened to erase the lead, loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
Carlos Rey entered from the bullpen with no room for error.
He struck out both batters he faced.
Bases loaded. One out. No runs.
That was championship-level relief pitching.
One final Springfield push
Amarillo added some breathing room in the eighth after two singles put runners at the corners. Walters brought home another run with a groundout, extending the lead to 6-3.
Springfield wasn't finished.
Two walks opened the bottom of the eighth and brought Alfred Morillo into the game. He needed only four pitches to produce a double play and a groundout, getting Amarillo out of yet another dangerous situation without allowing a run.
Then came the ninth.
The Cardinals had one last rally left in them.
After Morillo struck out the first batter, Springfield used a walk and a double to put pressure on Amarillo. Rodriguez eventually scored on a wild pitch, cutting the Sod Poodles' lead to 6-4.
Suddenly, a game Amarillo had spent all night fighting to control was tense again.
Morillo didn't blink.
He struck out Won-Bin Cho.
Then he struck out Ryan Campos.
Ballgame.
Championship.
Three-time Texas League champions
The final strike ended the 2026 season with Amarillo on top of the Texas League once again.
The Sod Poodles didn't cruise to this championship. They had to fight for it.
They fell behind. Their defense kept them close. Ortiz delivered the game-tying hit. Owusu-Asiedu supplied the biggest swing of the night. Rey escaped a bases-loaded nightmare, and Morillo slammed the door when Springfield made one final push.
When it was finally over, the scoreboard at Route 66 Stadium read Amarillo 6, Springfield 4.
More importantly, the Sod Poodles could call themselves Texas League champions for the third time in franchise history.
