SPRINGFIELD (Interstat) — The Amarillo Sod Poodles will visit the Springfield Cardinals on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, for Game 3 of their Texas League playoff series at Hammons Field.

Amarillo is 79-61. Springfield is 79-59. The forecast at game time calls for 73 degrees.

Amarillo right-hander Brian Curley is a player to watch. He allowed six hits and struck out five over five scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 4-0 victory at Springfield. Curley has won each of his past five starts, striking out 29 over 25 innings in that stretch. Curley’s past five starts include five innings against Springfield on Sept. 22, four at Frisco on Sept. 17 and five against San Antonio on Sept. 10. He also pitched six innings at Frisco on Sept. 4 and five against Corpus Christi on Aug. 28.

Springfield right-hander Daniel Eagen is a player to watch. He took the loss Tuesday despite yielding four hits over six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Eagen has 40 strikeouts over his past five starts and has reached double digits in strikeouts twice in that span.

Amarillo won the most recent meeting 4-0 on Tuesday at Springfield. Springfield won 7-2 on Sept. 20. Earlier this season, Amarillo won four of five games at Springfield from June 10-14. The Sod Poodles also won 13-2 at Springfield on July 19. Springfield earned a 4-3 win at home on July 18. The teams have met 10 times this season. Amarillo has won seven of those games, including seven of nine at Hammons Field.

Amarillo’s most recent victory came behind Curley and reliever Joe Ariola, who combined for eight scoreless innings. Carlos Virahonda hit a home run and drove in two runs. For Springfield, Jack Gurevitch had one hit and Yhoiker Fajardo allowed four earned runs over three innings in relief.

Amarillo has won five of six against San Antonio from Sept. 8-13, including a 17-1 win on Sept. 11 and a 9-6 win on Sept. 12. The Sod Poodles also beat Frisco 12-7 on Sept. 17 and 8-7 on Sept. 18 after falling 8-7 in 10 innings to Frisco on Sept. 15. Springfield won four of six against Arkansas from Sept. 8-13, including a 16-6 victory on Sept. 9 and a 10-7 win on Sept. 8. The Cardinals also beat Tulsa 6-4 on Sept. 17 and 9-7 on Sept. 15.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Amarillo 10, Springfield 7. Interstat’s ELO system gives Springfield a 61.5 percent probability to win.