Written the week of July 20-26, 2026

Going into this week’s series with the Amarillo Sod Poodles, conversations have sounded eerily similar before the first game on Tuesday.

“We’re only one game out of first place!”

“Yeah, and we’re also only one game out of last place.”

The first 21 games of the 2^nd half of the season finds the South Division bunched together like five people sharing one umbrella in a downpour. Two games separate first from worst, and Corpus Christi is smack dab in the middle of it all.

The record tells you everything about professional sports in general and professional baseball in particular. No matter how those who watch evaluate the players and teams, not much separates them on the field of play. Little things make a big difference when it comes to winning and losing. That’s a lesson that will be repeated throughout the series this week, starting with game 1.

In game 1 Trey Dombroski got three outs in a row in the first inning, but he faced five batters. My text to our trio: Dombroski has already pitched himself into trouble.

Druw Jones led off with a single. A wild pitch allowed Jones to go to second. Jean Walters bunted safely, advancing Jones to third. Then came the three straight outs—fly out, ground out, strike out—with a run scoring on the 2^nd out.

Considering the rough start, to be down 1-0 in the first felt like a win. It really felt like a win after the Hooks batted in the bottom of the inning. Yamal Encarnacion led off with a double. Trevor Austin singled, sending Yamal jetting around 3^rd to score our first run.

Trevor stole 2^nd and tagged to go to 3^rd on a deep fly out by our guy Will Bush. He scored the 2^nd run on an errant pick-off throw. Jason Schiavone struck out. With 2 out, Chase Call hit his 1^st Double-A home run. The only person who had a chance to catch his homer was me, and I did. Michael Coffin, the voice of the Hooks, said the fan on the berm made a good catch. Ellen, watching at home, relayed his comments via text.

After I caught Chase’s home run ball, the trio text debated whether I should give him the ball after the game.

One said: Too bad you’re going to have to give that ball up.

The other: Not me! I am keeping it!

During the debate between Jim Cologna and Ellen, I had already talked to Chase when he returned to left field. I showed him the ball and offered to give it to him after the game. He waved me off and later signed it. I’d learn that the home run may have been his first at Double-A, but he had hit 15 this season in High-A Ashville.

After Cameron Sisneros walked, reliever Nate Savino came in for starting pitcher Billy Corcoran and retired the side. Hooks 3-Sod Poodles 1.

Trey Dombroski continued to labor on the mound. He walked two batters, got a ground out between the two, then struck out the final two to get out of the inning unscathed.

The bottom of the 2nd was a long inning, but not because of our bats. A mysterious game delay separated our second of three strikeouts from our second walk. We’d have base runners without hits, and the score remained 3-1 Hooks.

Jim and/or Ellen pestered me about the delay.

What’s going on????

Tom, do you know what the delay was for?

Me: I have no idea!

You only have about 200 people who work there to ask.

I asked Chase Call, one of the nine on the field. A fire alarm went off.

In the 3^rd inning, Trey would face four batters, give up a walk, coax two fly-ball outs and a groundout for his best inning a third of the way through the game. Savino would have an even better 3^rd, facing the minimum and recording 2 strikeouts.

The 4^th inning didn’t go well for either pitcher. Trey gave up two solo home runs to tie up the game. Jack Hurley hit his home run over the right field fence. Junior Franco used every bit of right field as his home run caromed off the foul pole. Everyone knew the answer to the question, “Was it fair or foul?” Doink!

Tyler Whitaker led off our half of the inning with a home run to left center into the home team bullpen. Later I peered over the fence into the bullpen and asked Alejandro Torres if the ball had stayed in the pen. He waved his ball cap and said, “I caught it in my hat.”

We’d have additional action on the bases but no more runs to extend our 4-3 lead.

Trey Dombroski would finish his outing in the 5^th by striking out the first batter, and Alejandro Torres with his ball-catching hat would take the mound. Together they recorded a 1-2-3 inning. It was a different way to get ’er done, but I loved it.

The Hooks went 1-2-3 via a groundout, walk, double play in the bottom half of the inning. It too was a different way to get ’er done, and I was not enamored.

Neither team scored in the 5^th, 6^th, or 7^th, but we still had to face the dreaded 8^th. The Hooks had an opportunity to score in the 6^th when Trevor Austin singled with men on 1^st and 2^nd. Tyler Whitaker raced around 3^rd and was about to score when Amarillo made the smart play rather than the spectacular.

Center fielder Druw Jones fired a strike to 3^rd baseman Jansel Luis rather than attempt to gun down Whitaker heading home. He got our runner at 3^rd for the third out before Whit touched home plate. The score remained 4-3 Hooks. It was a little thing, a split-second difference between out at 3^rd and safe at home, that cost us a 2-run lead. The texting trio went into debate mode for the rest of the game.

A text after the incident covered a different subject, saving pitchers’ arms: Yeah, you’re right, but it’s still hard for me to see a pitcher do really well and then they replace him with a pitcher that gives up runs.

Later the question would be: Why did they take out Torres?

Somewhere in all of the scoring, when things were getting tense, the kids on the berm in left field started to chant. Unlike the little girl who chanted, “Hit a home run. Hit a home run” during Frisco’s at bat in a close game at home, they were chanting, “Let’s go, Hooks. Let’s go, Hooks,” and they were clapping. It was cool.

One other strange thing happened during this time, and this would probably never happen in a major league stadium. A girl came up to me, carefully holding a folded towel. She asked me, “Do you want to see a frog?”

Who could turn that down? Of course I wanted to see a frog. I was curious if it actually was a frog or just a toad. It was a frog.

Her question cleared up an earlier mystery. I had heard her ask her mother, who was sitting behind me, “Are you sure I can’t get warts?”

After a pitching change in the 8^th, Amarillo would get a string of hits and plate 3 runs to take a 6-4 lead. We’d get a run back on a Yamal Encarnacion single and, after 8 complete, Amarillo 6-Corpus Christi 5.

Our new pitcher hit the leadoff batter, Druw Jones. Jones’s name is sure coming up way too often in this recounting of game 1.

A leadoff walk, hit by pitch, or hit will sometime be like stepping on gum. It’ll just be plain hard to clean up afterwards, and we certainly didn’t clean this mess up. Jones scored on a wild pitch. Amarillo 7-Corpus Christi 5.

Two things I’ve learned this season. First, 8^th innings should be dreaded. Second, 9^th innings tend to be exciting. Both lessons were on full display Tuesday night.

Our Will Bush hit a leadoff double and scampered to third on a wild pitch. Hey, our pitchers aren’t the only ones who can get a little wild. With one out, Chase Call singled, and Will scored. Amarillo 7-Corpus Christi 6.

Sisneros flied out for the 2^nd out, then Chase stole second. With a runner in scoring position, grand-slam-walk-off hero Tyler Whitaker came to bat. On this night, though, Tyler failed to connect, and the Hooks lost.

In reflecting on the game, our failure to score in the 6^th and the wild pitch in the 9^th were small things that made a big difference between winning and losing. As in most games, they aren’t the only reasons for a loss, but they are the ones you chew on long after the flavor of the game is gone.

After the game, I went to the home team tunnel with Chase Call’s home run ball. As I was waiting and Chase was signing things, a father told his son, “Tell Chase Call you have his home run ball.”

I didn’t want to be rude, but, hey, we’ve got video evidence. I said to the dad, “Actually this is his home run ball. Did the bullpen toss that one to you?”

He was a little surprised but said, “Yeah,” with a little uncertainty.

The man wasn’t trying to deceive anyone. He assumed Chase had hit that ball, when in reality, catch-it-in-the-cap Alejandro Torres had tossed him Tyler Whitaker’s home run ball. I was happy to tell him that was the ball his son had.

How about game 2? Would the Hooks bounce back?

Wednesday would be a special night for me, because Ellen joined me in the rockers. I had started out of the driveway without her when I looked at the stack of game vouchers I had in the car. They were good for specific games, and Wednesday was one of those games.

I phoned her from our driveway, asked her if she would go with me, and a quick-change later, she and I sported our bright orange Whataburger shirts and headed to the ballpark.

Letting Jim in Springfield know where we were sitting, I texted: You watching, Jim? Ellen and I are the two pumpkins in the rockers.

Amarillo’s right fielder, Trent Youngblood led off with a triple in the first. Our center fielder Yamal Encarnacion tracked it down but lost the ball out of his glove when he slammed against an unforgiving wall. Youngblood scored on Jean Walters’ sacrifice fly. Amarillo 1-Corpus Christi 0.

Now I’m going to demonstrate the difference between reading about it, watching it on television, and being there.

Reading about it (box score account): Cristofer Torin grounds out, third baseman Trevor Austin to first baseman Will Bush. 2 outs.

Watching it on television (Jim): Bad camera work on that play. They missed Trevor’s stop and Will’s stretch.

Being there (me): WOW! WOW! WOW! for that play by Trevor.

My text that followed: Tonight already has a different vibe, an exciting one.

Exciting would be an understatement. Win or lose, tonight would be a roller coaster of emotions. Put away the nail clippers. This one would be a nailbiter.

Jim went out for supper early and wrote: Keep me informed.

Ellen kept Jim informed. Jim kept responding. At one point I opened my phone to see 60 unread text messages. What the heck?

We’d start with a whimper in the bottom of the inning—line drive out, pop out—but then things would take off. Our guy Will Bush walked and went to third on Walker Janek’s single into right field. Walker stole 2^nd. When the dust settled after the catcher’s throwing error, Will scored and Walker stood on 3^rd base.

Chase Call walked, but a ground out ended our at bat. Amarillo 1-Corpus Christi 1.

Cole Hertzler pitched a 1-2-3 2^nd inning. Could he keep up those good vibes?

In the bottom half, Tyler Whitaker homered. Max Holy would fly out deep to center field. Alberto Hernandez followed with his first Double-A homer. Trevor singled between outs, but a strikeout swinging would end the scoring. Amarillo 1-Corpus Christi 3.

The dreaded 8^th inning moved up to the 3^rd inning and a deluge of runs flooded into the Amarillo side of the box score. Trevor Austin, after a sensational play in the 1^st, made a rare throwing error to first. Amarillo’s leadoff batter stood on 1^st with no outs. Here is what followed.

Walk, walk, strikeout! Yay! 1 out. Still 1-3.

Wild pitch, run scores. Runners at 2^nd and 3^rd. Not yay! 2-3 Corpus Christi.

Sac fly, run scores. 2 outs. 3-3 all tied up

Hit by pitch. Single. Run scores. Runners at 1^st and 3^rd. 4-3 Amarillo.

3-run home run. 7-3 Amarillo.

Pitching change. Yay!

Alex Santos II struck out Alberto Barriga to close the floodgates. Amarillo 7-Corpus Christi 3.

No more scoring for either team until the 5^th inning. A gum-on-your-shoe leadoff walk stayed around long enough to plate Amarillo’s 8^th run.

Finally, in our half of the inning, the gum stuck on the Amarillo pitcher’s shoe. With one out and bases loaded on walks, Max Holy hit into a fielder’s choice. Going for spectacular rather than smart, Amarillo’s 2^nd baseman touched 2^nd base then hurried a wild throw to first. He got an out, but his wild throw allowed two runs rather than one to score. After 5 complete innings, Amarillo 8-Corpus Christi 5.

In the top of the 6^th, Junior Franco tripled. Reliever Nic Swanson would get a ground out, strikeout, before allowing Franco to score on a wild pitch. Amarillo 9-Corpus Christi 5.

At this point Jim texted: I am on strike, hoping my silence will cause a rally.

By the bottom of the 6^th, the top of the Hooks’ batting order was like a 10-month pregnancy, way overdue and ready to deliver. Yamal Encarnacion ripped a line drive double into center. Trevor Austin walked. Will Bush got to 1^st on a fielder’s choice. With Yamal at 3^rd, Will at 1^st, and two outs, Chase Call homered to right field to close the gap to 9-8. What a nice 3-run delivery!

Ellen updating Jim after his silence strike: Home run by Call!!! 9-8.

Jim: My silence is working!

Ellen: Shh!!!!

Nic Swanson pitched a 1-2-3 7^th inning. Whoop! Whoop! We didn’t score in the bottom of the 7^th. Still Amarillo 9-Corpus Christi 8.

Hudson Leach relieved Nic and delivered a rare scoreless 8^th.

At this point, I was absorbed in a conversation with Ruben Hernandez about baseball cards and former Hooks players. I looked up to see a ball flying toward the right field fence. The right fielder was backing up, backing up, backing up, and I was going, no, no, no! The ball cleared the fence, and the home crowd roared.

When I spoke to Trevor Austin the next day, I told him my reaction to the home run. He said, “You didn’t know I hit it?”

I said, “I didn’t even know we were up to bat. I thought Amarillo was still batting.”

End of 8 innings, Amarillo 9-Corpus Christi 9!

With the score tied in the 9^th, Amilcar Chirinos entered the game for the Hooks and pitched a relax-I-got-this 1-2-3 inning. He struck out all three batters he faced. I sure do like that guy. He’s as dependable as Ellen choosing chocolate over coconut. She loves the one and hates the other.

People often say baseball is boring, but a close game in the 9^th inning has all the tense excitement of a 4^th and inches in football. For me, that tension grips me by the throat, every pitch, every throw to first, every fly ball deep, and doesn’t let go until the final out or the final run.

Cameron Sisneros walked and Kenni Gomez came in as a pinch runner. A wild pitch later, Kenni’s standing on 2^nd. Tyler Whitaker singled and, surprisingly but wisely, Kenni stopped at 3^rd. Max Holy received an intentional pass to load up the bases.

Why did Amarillo do that?

The next at bat demonstrated the wisdom of the decision. Alberto Hernandez hit the ball sharply, but shortstop Jean Walters scooped up the ball and fired home for the force out. Game remained tied, and a double play would get them out of the inning.

In the next at bat, Yamal hit the ball to 2^nd baseman Cristofer Torin. If anyone but Yamal’s running, Amarillo would have a chance at a double play, but Yamal is running. The throw to home is too late, and Tyler Whitaker scores to start the night’s celebration in the stands. Final score: Amarillo 9-Corpus Christi 10.

On Thursday the rains came, but the gates opened on time. The tarp covered the field until the grounds crew and Hooks staff peeled it back to dump water into right field only to re-cover the infield.

Ashlynn, a grade schooler, asked someone on the field why they pulled it off then returned it back. It seemed like they had uncovered it then decided, nope, no game tonight. Thanks to a little girl’s curiosity I learned they dumped the water into the outfield to give it time to soak into the ground before play started. It was not a sign there’d be no game.

We were informed the 6:35 start time would now be 7:00 then 7:30 then a definite yes-or-no 8:15 PM. The extra time provided plenty of conversation time while people waited.

Brett Gillis was scheduled to be the Hooks’ starting pitcher that night, and I knew from a conversation in San Antonio that he relished a Thursday night start after being relegated to Sunday afternoons. He didn’t like to wait so long to pitch.

He didn’t care whether they played on Thursday night or a doubleheader on Friday. His biggest concern was pitching for an inning then postponing the rest of the game to the next day. Once the game started, he wanted to finish it.

At 8:15 the final decision was made. We’ll play two 7-inning games tomorrow.

During the wait, I spoke with Tyler and Katelyn Watson. Tyler is an Angel’s scout, so I valued an opportunity to hear his story. The next day I would meet them at Texas State Aquarium along with their two young sons, Liam 6 and Everett 3.

Tyler grew up in a baseball family. His dad, Gene Watson, is Director of Player Personnel with the Chicago White Sox, but he started with the grounds crew and operations with the Texas Rangers. When I mentioned that I’m working on a baseball book (you’ve joined me in this effort), Tyler said that his dad’s story would make a great book.

Knowing Tyler had been around professional baseball as a kid, the 9-year-old in me had to ask, “So who was your favorite player to play catch with growing up?”

“Rafael Palmeiro!”

The Palmeiro family remain good friends to this day. How cool is that?

Katelyn grew up in a baseball family as well. Her father, Billy Bates, played on the 1983 College World Series champion Texas Longhorns as a freshman and the 1990 World Series champion Reds.

For some reason Ellen wanted to know more about  Katelyn’s dad so she did a search and uncovered a host of interesting trivia, one Katelyn shared with me while we talked at the aquarium and another Ellen found on YouTube.

Billy Bates scored the winning run in game 2 of the World Series in 1990. It would be his last major league play. Because of his speed, he pinch hit and scored in the 10^th inning to break a 4-4 tie at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium.

Just how fast was Billy Bates? He raced a cheetah and won. To be fair, he had a 5 second start and his ball cap falling off distracted the speedy cat.

Through the Watsons, I met Brad Kelley, a Chicago White Sox scout, and we talked about a few Hooks players. He made some keen observations about two players, an everyday guy and a pitcher, that seemed spot on to what I’d seen of them, and he was more knowledgeable and insightful in two games than I was having seen them over an entire season.

For certain, scouts at a college game and scouts at a minor league game are asking two different questions. On the college level, the question is: Who should we draft? On the professional level: Who should we get in a trade?

Friday, we got two games for the price of one, and the Hooks remained a game and a half behind 1^st place. If Frisco lost and we won both games, we’d be tied for 1^st by the end of the day. We weren’t tied at the end of the day, but we sure came close.

Brett Gillis got what he wanted, a sunny day and the opportunity to pitch a full game. I got what I wanted, a good breeze and an opportunity to watch the whole thing from my rocking chair.

Brett pitched well in the 1^st inning, only giving up an inconsequential single. Junior Sanchez did better with a 1-2-3 inning. It looked like we might have a pitcher’s duel brewing, and we’d have only 7 innings to find out who got the better of whom.

As one of our brain trust texters put it, if you’re winning, the game drags. You can’t get to the final out soon enough. If you’re losing, the game speeds by, and it’s over way too soon. You’ll have to decide which was happening after the 7^th inning.

In the 2^nd, Brett pitched well, giving up an inconsequential leadoff walk. For once, the gum came off pretty easily.

Cameron Sisneros led off with a double down the right field line that ended up being a single and an out. Hold it! Didn’t you say he doubled down the right field line?

Why, yes, I did. He knew he doubled. I knew he doubled. The crowd knew he doubled. Those at home knew he doubled. And that was the problem.

Shortstop Cristofer Torin did the best job I’ve even seen of selling an apparent no throw from the right fielder. As I watched an unawares Cameron ease up just before stepping on the bag, I could see the disaster flying toward Torin from right field. Please, make the throw late. Please, make it late.

It wasn’t late, and Cameron was out.

That play started the brain trust managing how to deal with the obvious mistake. Despite being pros, you need to remind them of the basics. Sisneros should have slid. It changed the whole inning. They need to be reminded of everything.

What hurt even more was the next at bat, Walker Janek’s ground-rule double. Two doubles would have equaled one run, but would one run make a difference in the end?

As it turned out, despite two lead-off hits, we scored nothing.

The real manager Ricky Rivera pulled Cameron from the game, and Alberto Hernandez entered as the new 1^st baseman in the 3^rd inning.

In the 3^rd, Gillis issued a lead-off walk to Jean Walters and gave up a single to Torin. Jason Schiavone gobbled up a bad bunt and fired to 2^nd for the first out. Trent Youngblood stood at first and Walters at third. A beautiful Encarnacion to Holy to Hernandez double play ended the inning with the score tied 0-0.

Sanchez would fire a 1-2-3 inning to keep us knotted up at zeroes.

Gillis hit Ben McLaughlin with a pitch with one out, but he finished the 4^th inning with a strikeout and a fly out.

We’d get two walks and a Janek single to score a run. Greedy for another run, Rivera sent Call home when the ball skipped past the 3^rd baseman. The pitcher Junior Sanchez, right guy, right place, right time, fielded the misfire and whipped a missile in plenty of time to catch Call at home. This was the 3^rd base-running miscue in the game, but it reflected the aggressive style favored by Rivera.

Still, we had scored the first run in a close game, and someone earlier had texted that in a close game the team to score first had an advantage. Advantage Hooks!

A single by Sod Poodle Jean Walters and another by Hook Yamal Encarnacion were the only base runners in the 5^th and the 6^th. Gillis and Sanchez continued to pitch near-flawless innings.

At this point, I believe Gillis would have wanted to finish what he’d started. He seemed able to go another round in this fight between two very even opponents, but he never got a chance to face another batter.

Leading 1-0 in the final inning, Hooks relief gave up 5 hits and 4 runs with a hit by pitch thrown in. A flood of runs decimated another outstanding start by a Hooks pitcher.

A soft bunt in front of home plate scored the 4^th and final run for the Sod Poodles. A frame-by-frame review at home showed Schiavone tagging the runner out by a couple of feet, but without a review process, the safe call stood.

My comment at the time: [The home plate call] may have been a decision to avoid extra innings. I didn’t really believe that, but even from left field I think I made the right call. The one advantage the plate umpire had over me was he could see if Jason made the tag or whiffed. If he made the tag, the runner was out.

In the bottom of the 7^th, Amarillo brought in Carlos Rey to relieve Sanchez. He got two quick outs before the Hooks rallied. Tyler Whitaker walked. Rey hit Max Holy with a pitch. Kenni Gomez singled for his first Double-A hit and RBI. Both Whitaker and Holy scored. Amarillo 4-Corpus Christi 3.

Watching the Hooks is either energizing or draining at the end, but you have to stay until the last play to know which it’ll be. Going into the bottom of the 7^th, Jim Cologna texted this pearl: The beauty of baseball. It is not over until it is over.

In game 1, it was over. The ending, a 4-3 loss, exhausted me. Ugh! And the second of the double header was coming up in half an hour.

Newly promoted Nolan DeVos started for the Hooks. His only appearance in a Hooks uniform came as a reliever on Saturday night in San Antonio. He wasn’t perfect, but he was good enough through 3 innings to get the save in a 5-2 win.

Nolan overcame a fielding error by our 2^nd baseman and a walk to record a scoreless first. He would go on to put up zeroes through 5.1 innings. Sorry if I gave you too much information too early, but he threw well enough to win, recording three 1-2-3 innings in the five full innings he pitched. The only tense inning was the 1^st when catcher Alberto Barriga struck out with center fielder Trent Youngblood standing on 3^rd.

In the 4^th inning, Trevor Austin led off with a ground out. Our guy Will Bush doubled on a fly ball to right field. Here’s the box score’s play-by-play after Will’s double. Jason Schiavone flies into a double play.

Flies into a double play? How does one fly into a double play?

I’ve already said that the Hooks are aggressive on the base paths. A recurring theme in this series, one that would cost them a couple of games, is running into an out—often in an attempt to get to third or score at home. Will tagged, and Angel Ortiz fired an out-seeking missile to 3^rd baseman Jansel Luis. Soddies 0-Hooks 0.

In the bottom of the 5^th inning, we had two on via the walk and two outs when Kenni Gomez came up golden for the 2^nd time Friday. He blistered a ball to center over the center fielder’s outstretched glove and raced around the bases for a triple. Tyler Whitaker and Max Holy both scored. A ground out ended the threat, but we had the lead going into the 6^th. Soddies 0-Hooks 2.

Nolan DeVos pitched to one more batter and got a fly ball out. Jose Guedez relieved him and completed the 1-2-3 inning with another fly out and a strikeout. We’d do nothing in the bottom half of the 6^th.

Reliable Amilcar Chirinos entered and got the save with the 5^th 1-2-3 inning of the 7-inning 2^nd game. The Hooks remained one game out of first place in the South Division, and I was less exhausted after 14 innings of doubleheader baseball.

Bryce Mayer pitched game 5 of the series on Saturday night. I liked our chances, and Bryce gave me no reason to change my mind during the game. He had no base runners through the first 3 innings, gave up a double in the 4^th, and struck out 7 without issuing a walk through those 4 innings. Three up, three down happened for the 1^st three innings. The night started out well.

In the 2^nd inning, Walker Janek homered to left center just beyond our bullpen to put us up 1-0. Yamal Encarnacion singled with two outs then stole 2^nd. He was in the middle of stealing 3^rd base when Trevor Austin shot a single up the middle. Scrambling up after a headfirst slide, Yamal hurried home to make it 2-0 Hooks.

In the 5^th, Bryce issued his only walk of the night to leadoff batter Ben McLaughlin. After a strikeout, Jean Walters hit into a double play to end the inning.

In the 6^th, Amarillo would get two singles. With one out, Bryce Mayer fielded his position to throw out Jakey Josepha racing toward 3^rd. A wild pitch moved Junior Franco from 2^nd to 3^rd, but that would be as close as Amarillo would get to scoring against Bryce. He’d exit the game, handing the bullpen a 2-0 lead with 9 strikeouts and a walk.

I talked to Bryce the next day, commented on how well he pitched, and said I’d only seen him pitch poorly once. He made a couple of guesses, but I had to remind him of the one poor outing.

When Ellen and I headed to Springfield, Missouri in May, Bryce pitched the first game of a doubleheader. The largest Hooks’ crowd sat on the visitors’ side to see him pitch. His parents, other family members, and friends all cheered for him, but he struggled the whole game. I guess the only thing that makes cool and steady Bryce Mayer nervous is his family.

That, of course, was months ago. In his last five starts, he’s given up a single run. My statistician at home noted the TV showed a graph of the Astros’ top 15 prospects. It listed Bryce in the #5 spot.

Nic Swanson pitched the 7^th and 8^th innings in relief. He would strike out 3, face only the minimum 6 batters, and keep Amarillo scoreless. At the same time, the Hooks would get both hits and runners but would not extend the lead.

Alex Santos II pitched the final inning and would issue a 2-out walk before his last pitch headed to right center. Watching the high arc of the fly ball, I held my breath standing near the deepest part of the ballpark. Center fielder Kenni Gomez snagged the fly ball for the last out, and I exhaled as he tossed it to my friend Robert Nash. Corpus Christi 2-Amarillo 0. What a great game!

In Sunday’s game, James Hicks and Avery Short would each pitch 1-2-3 innings and face the minimum through the 1^st and 2^nd innings. Hicks lasted into the 6^th and Short pitched 3 scoreless innings. No one would score until the top of the 6^th, then once again, the floodgates opened up for Amarillo. They scored 4 runs in the 6^th and another in the 7^th to take a 5-0 lead.

Watching from the rockers with Ellen, I texted Jim: It’s not pretty in the 6^th. Unless we get a double play, all 9 Poodles will come to bat.

We didn’t get a double play. Cristofer Torin led off the 6^th and 7^th innings. Ugh!

We never recovered from the 6^th inning flood of runs, and the Hooks lost 5-2, splitting the series 3-3. Amarillo leads the series 7-5 with a 6-game series in Amarillo left in the season. We own the tiebreaker with San Antonio, but Amarillo currently owns the tiebreaker with us.

After 27 games in the 2^nd half, the South Division remains huddled under a single umbrella with Frisco firmly holding the handle. What a wild ride of a season!

Amarillo Sod Poodles 8-Corpus Christi Hooks 7               L

Amarillo Sod Poodles 9-Corpus Christi Hooks 10             W

Amarillo Sod Poodles 4-Corpus Christi Hooks 3               L

Amarillo Sod Poodles 0-Corpus Christi Hooks 2               W

Amarillo Sod Poodles 0-Corpus Christi Hooks 2               W

Amarillo Sod Poodles 5-Corpus Christi Hooks 2               L

Texas League South 2^nd-half standings

Frisco                              15-12

Corpus Christi                  14-13

Amarillo                          13-14

Midland                           13-14

San Antonio                     13-14