SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Interstat) — The Amarillo Sod Poodles and Springfield Cardinals continue their six-game series Saturday at Hammons Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. under clear skies and a game-time temperature of 81 degrees.

Amarillo (29-30) will send right-hander Ashton Izzi (2-2) or right-hander Chen-Wei Lin (1-2) to the mound; the club has listed both as probable pitchers. Springfield (26-33) had not announced a starter at press time.

The Sod Poodles enter the contest tied for third in the Texas League North Division, 1.5 games ahead of last-place Springfield. Amarillo has won two straight after dropping the series opener Tuesday, outscoring the Cardinals 27-8 in the last two games.

Outfielder Gavin Conticello has been the catalyst for Amarillo’s offense. Over his last three games (Interstat) — all against Springfield (Interstat) — Conticello is 9-for-14 with three home runs, 12 RBIs and five runs scored. In Thursday’s 13-4 victory, he went 4-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs. For the season, Conticello is batting .298 with 10 homers and 42 RBIs.

Springfield catcher Rainiel Rodriguez has also been productive in the series, going 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs in Thursday’s loss. Rodriguez is hitting .261 with six homers and 28 RBIs this season.

The series has been lopsided: Amarillo won 14-4 on Wednesday and 13-4 on Thursday, while Springfield took the opener 9-5 on Tuesday. The clubs also met April 3-5 in Amarillo, with the Cardinals sweeping that three-game set by a combined 23-9 margin.

The Interstat game simulator projects a 4-3 victory for Springfield.

After Saturday’s game, the teams conclude the series Sunday afternoon before Amarillo returns home for a six-game set against Midland beginning Tuesday. Springfield travels to Wichita for a six-game series starting Tuesday.