For five innings, Liam Doyle kept Springfield’s championship hopes intact. Rainiel Rodriguez sent a home run into the trees beyond left field, Cade McGee added an RBI single, and the Cardinals carried a two-run lead into the late innings at Route 66 Stadium.
That lead — and the Texas League title — slipped away through the same cracks that had appeared in the opening inning.
Two Springfield errors helped Amarillo erase the advantage before the bullpen surrendered five runs from the sixth through the eighth in a 6-4 loss Wednesday. Avery Owusu-Asiedu broke a tie with a two-run homer in the seventh, sending the Sod Poodles to the championship in the deciding third game of the series.
The Cardinals mounted one last threat in the ninth but stranded the tying runs as their season ended.
Springfield’s defense first cost Doyle in the opening inning. Carlos Virahonda singled with two outs, and Owusu-Asiedu followed with a liner into center. Center fielder Tai Peete reached the ball but bobbled it, allowing Virahonda to race around from first with an unearned run.
Doyle stranded Owusu-Asiedu and settled in from there. The left-hander allowed no earned runs over five innings, striking out six and walking two while holding Amarillo scoreless from the second through the fifth.
Springfield gave him the lead in a three-run third. Peete walked before Rodriguez lifted a drive deep to left, beyond the wall and into the trees. Rodriguez rounded third toward a gathering of Cardinals at home plate, his two-run homer turning the early deficit into a 2-1 lead.
Jesús Báez singled and Won-Bin Cho walked before McGee grounded a base hit into center. Báez scored, Ryan Campos reached third, and Springfield had its largest lead at 3-1.
McGee finished 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Rodriguez reached four times, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and a hit by pitch.
Doyle departed after working around a single and a walk in the fifth. The game changed immediately against Nolan Sparks.
Owusu-Asiedu reached on shortstop Báez’s throwing error to begin the sixth, and Druw Jones doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Angel Ortiz attacked the first pitch and lined it into left, scoring both runners and tying the game at 3.
Sparks returned for the seventh and allowed a leadoff double to Cristofer Torin. Randel Clemente entered after a lineout and struck out Virahonda, putting Springfield one out from escaping the inning.
Owusu-Asiedu supplied the swing that decided the championship. He drove Clemente’s offering over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer, turning a tie game into a 5-3 Amarillo lead. Owusu-Asiedu finished 2-for-5 with the homer and two RBIs.
Sparks took the loss and was charged with a blown save after allowing two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings. Clemente allowed two earned runs and struck out three over 1 2/3 innings.
Amarillo added an insurance run in the eighth. Ortiz singled and moved to third on Danny Serretti’s single, then scored when Jean Walters grounded softly to first. Rodriguez took the out at the bag as Ortiz came home, extending the margin to three.
Springfield had opportunities to answer. The Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh before consecutive strikeouts ended the threat, then put two aboard in the eighth only to have a double play drain the threat. They left 10 runners on base overall.
The last push came in the ninth. Rodriguez walked with one out, and Báez ripped a sharp double down the left-field line. The ball rolled into the corner as Rodriguez reached third, bringing the tying run to the plate.
Won-Bin Cho and Campos struck out to end it. Springfield managed one run in the inning but no more, closing a night that began with Doyle controlling the game and ended with Amarillo celebrating a 6-4 championship victory.