Big First Inning Leads to a Bounce-Back Win for the Drillers
TULSA, OK – After suffering a tough, extra-innings loss in their home opener, the Tulsa Drillers bounced back just a few hours later Wednesday afternoon at ONEOK Field. Tulsa opened the second game of a six-game series with Arkansas by scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning,
TULSA, OK – After suffering a tough, extra-innings loss in their home opener, the Tulsa Drillers bounced back just a few hours later Wednesday afternoon at ONEOK Field. Tulsa opened the second game of a six-game series with Arkansas by scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning, four coming on a grand slam from Austin Beck, and eventually posted a 14-5 win over the Arkansas Travelers.
The game was shortened to just 7 innings when rain stopped the contest with Arkansas batting in the top of the eighth.
The win was a nice response from the Drillers after suffering their first loss of the season in Tuesday’s opener. The victory improved their early season record to 4-1, while the Travelers dropped to 1-4.
It marks only the second time in the last 17 seasons that the Drillers have started a season with at least four wins in their first five games.
After scoring only three runs in 12 innings in Tuesday’s loss, Tulsa quickly doubled that total on Wednesday. A bases-loaded walk to Yeiner Fernandez brought home the game’s first run, and Taylor Young followed with an RBI single. Beck capped the quick start with his grand slam, an opposite-field drive that landed on the right field concourse and gave Tulsa a 6-0 lead.
The Drillers lead swelled to 9-1 in the second inning thanks to home runs from Dalton Rushing and Young.
The Travelers began to cut into the large deficit in the fourth. With two outs and the bases empty, a pair of singles set up a three-run homer from Morgan McCullough.
After the Travs pulled to within 9-5, Tulsa put the game away with a five-run seventh inning that was capped by a run-scoring double from Young.
With the Travelers batting in the eighth, rain forced umpires to call for the tarp from the grounds crew. After a 20-minute delay, the game was called and made official with the Drillers taking the nine-run victory.
INSIDE THE GAME
*Young finished the afternoon 3-5 with two runs scored and four runs batted in and just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Beck was 2-4 with two runs scored and four RBI, all coming on his first-inning grand slam.
*Other offensive standouts for Tulsa included Bubba Alleyne with three hits and Brandon Davis with two hits and two runs batted in. Rushing finished 2-3 with two RBI and three runs.
*The 14 runs scored were a season high for the Drillers and matched the high from all of last season
*The Drillers batted around in both the first and seventh innings.
*Tulsa starting pitcher Hyun-il Choi came two outs short of qualifying for the win. Choi worked 4.1 innings and was charged with five runs on seven hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out six.
*Reliever Jack Little worked 1.2 scoreless innings to collect his first win of the year.
*For the first time this season, the Drillers did not turn a double play in the game. They had turned two double plays in each of their first four games this year.
*Tulsa pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts against just 1 walk. That walk came in the eighth inning from Ben Harris when the rain was at the heaviest.
UP NEXT:
The third game of the six-game series between the Drillers and Travelers will be played Thursday night at ONEOK Field. Starting time is set for 7:00 p.m. and the starting pitchers are scheduled to be:
ARK - RHP Logan Evans (0-1, 0.00 ERA)
TUL - LHP Justin Wrobleski (1-0, 1.80 ERA)