OKC Wins in Extras Following Eight No-Hit Innings

Oklahoma City Baseball Club – 5

Salt Lake Bees — 4

(11 innings)

Saturday, May 4, 2024 – Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City, Okla.

Game Summary: The Oklahoma City Baseball Club held the Salt Lake Bees without a hit through eight innings and later scored the game-winning run in the 11th inning when Kevin Padlo hit into a fielder’s choice for a 5-4 victory Saturday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Salt Lake (11-20) scored the first run of the night on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Oklahoma City (19-13) tied the score in the fourth inning on a solo home run out to center field by Miguel Vargas. Oklahoma City went ahead, 3-1, the fifth inning scoring runs on a RBI single by Drew Avans and another on a fielder’s choice. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City pitchers held the Bees without a hit until Jason Martin led off the ninth inning with a single. Salt Lake then went on to score two runs in the ninth inning to tie the score, 3-3, scoring a run on an OKC fielding error and another on a groundout. The teams exchanged runs in the 10th inning with the Bees scoring a run on a wild pitch and OKC answering via a RBI single by Chris Owings. OKC pitcher Jesse Hahn (1-0) retired all three Bees batters in the top of the 11th inning before Padlo hit into a fielder’s choice in OKC’s next at-bat, allowing Vargas to score the game-winning run from third base.

Of Note:

-Oklahoma City recorded its first walk-off win of the season in the team’s second extra-inning game of 2024 — and first at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. OKC’s other extra-inning game this season was in the season opener March 29 at Tacoma, which OKC lost, 1-0, in 11 innings.

-Oklahoma City pitchers did not allow a hit through eight innings before Salt Lake broke through with two hits in the ninth inning. It was the first time since 2016 that Oklahoma City carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning…Starting pitcher Hyun-il Choi threw six no-hit innings, allowing one run with four walks and three strikeouts, before Matt Gage — in his team debut — and Ricky Vanasco followed with scoreless and hitless seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Jason Martin hit a leadoff single in the ninth inning to end the no-hitter, but OKC went on to hold the Bees to two total hits through 11 innings — the fewest hits allowed by OKC since May 30, 2023 when the team limited Reno to two hits at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in a nine-inning game. The two hits allowed over 11 innings Saturday were also the fewest allowed by OKC in an extra-inning game since at least 2005.

-Miguel Vargas’ home run in the fourth inning was OKC’s first extra-base hit in three games. Entering Saturday, OKC had been held without an extra-base hit in consecutive games for the first time since July 24-25, 2014.

-Drew Avans (2-for-5) and Chris Owings (2-for-4) each finished with multi-hit games for OKC and collected a RBI apiece. Avans leads OKC with 14 multi-hit games this season while Owings picked up his sixth multi-hit game and also scored a run.

-OKC has now scored at least five runs in 11 of the last 12 games.

-Oklahoma City hosted its first-ever Star Wars Night Saturday. Players and coaches wore special edition Star Wars-inspired jerseys that were available for purchase through an online auction to benefit Niagara Cares.

Next Up: Oklahoma City and Salt Lake close out their six-game series at 2:05 p.m. Sunday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on a City Celebration Sunday. Players and coaches will wear commemorative city-themed jerseys and 405 area code caps, select OKC players will be available to sign autographs for fans prior to first pitch, and kids can take the field to run the bases following the game.

Single-game tickets for OKC games through June are available now at okcbaseball.com/tickets. Live radio coverage of each OKC Baseball Club game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps. All Sunday home games this season will air live on KOCB-TV in Oklahoma City — Channel 34 through digital antennas and DirecTV and on Channel 11 through Cox cable.