SAN ANTONIO (Interstat) — The Springfield Cardinals will face the Amarillo Sod Poodles in Game 1 of their Texas League (AA) playoff series Sunday at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium. Springfield is the visiting team, while Amarillo is the home team. The game-time forecast calls for 89 degrees and cloudy conditions.

Springfield enters at 78-58 and Amarillo at 78-60. The Cardinals most recently won 6-4 at Tulsa on Sept. 17. Liam Doyle pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowed no hits and one earned run while striking out eight in that game. Randel Clemente added 2/3 of an inning without allowing a run, and Daniel Eagen worked three innings, yielding one hit and two earned runs with five strikeouts.

Doyle has been a key player to watch. On Sept. 9 against Arkansas, he threw five innings, allowed one hit and two earned runs with five strikeouts in a 16-6 win. On Sept. 3 at Corpus Christi, he worked 5 2/3 innings, gave up four hits and one earned run with four strikeouts in a 14-1 win. On Aug. 25 against San Antonio, he pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowed four hits and no earned runs with six strikeouts in an 8-0 win.

Amarillo most recently won 8-7 at Frisco on Sept. 18. Cristofer Torin went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Logan Mercado pitched four innings, allowing three hits and one earned run with two strikeouts. Joe Ariola followed with two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and one walk while striking out four.

Torin is among Amarillo’s players to watch. He went 0-for-3 on Sept. 17 after a 1-for-5, one-RBI effort against Frisco on Sept. 15. He had two hits and an RBI against San Antonio on Sept. 12 and two hits and an RBI against the Missions on Sept. 11. On Sept. 8, he went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Springfield probable pitcher Junior Sanchez is 6-6 this season. Amarillo has won the most recent meeting between the teams, 13-2 at Springfield on July 19. Springfield won 4-3 on July 18, and the Cardinals won 6-4 at Amarillo on April 5. Amarillo also won 12-7 at Frisco on Sept. 17. Springfield had a 9-7 home win over Tulsa on Sept. 15.

After Game 1, the series is scheduled to continue with Amarillo at Springfield on Tuesday, Sept. 22, and Wednesday, Sept. 23. Springfield’s next listed games are those same dates.

Interstat’s game simulator projects Springfield to win 8-7. Interstat’s ELO system gives Springfield a 53.6 percent probability to win.