SPRINGFIELD (DA) — Druw Jones helped ignite Amarillo’s comeback Wednesday night, doubling and scoring during a game-tying sixth inning as the Sod Poodles defeated the Springfield Cardinals 6-4 to capture the Texas League championship.
Jones, the son of Curaçao baseball great and Hall of Famer Andruw Jones, came to the plate with Avery Owusu-Asiedu aboard and Amarillo trailing 3-1 in the decisive Game 3 of the Texas League Championship Series. His double put two runners in scoring position before Angel Ortiz drove both home with a single to tie the game.
Amarillo moved ahead in the seventh. Cristofer Torin doubled before Owusu-Asiedu connected for a two-run homer to left-center, giving the Sod Poodles a 5-3 lead.
Carlos Rey protected the advantage after entering with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom half of the inning. He struck out both batters he faced.
The Sod Poodles added another run in the eighth when Jean Walters grounded out with runners at first and third.
Springfield made it 6-4 in the ninth when Rainiel Rodriguez scored on a wild pitch, but Alfred Morillo struck out Won-Bin Cho and Ryan Campos to close out the championship.
The Cardinals had built a 3-1 lead in the third behind Rodriguez’s two-run homer and an RBI hit by Cade McGee.
The championship is Amarillo’s third in franchise history following titles in 2019 and 2023. The Sod Poodles also completed a postseason in which they won all four elimination games they faced after dropping the opener of both the South Division Series against Frisco and the championship series against Springfield.