Early Clutch Hits Aid Dodgers Win

Oklahoma City Dodgers – 8

Tacoma Rainiers – 3

Saturday, July 16, 2022 – Cheney Stadium – Tacoma, Wash.

Game Summary: The Oklahoma City Dodgers used several early clutch hits to build up to a six-run lead on the way to an 8-4 win over the Tacoma Rainiers Saturday night at Cheney Stadium. Jason Martin and James Outman each provided RBI singles in the first inning to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. Martin came up in the next inning with the bases loaded and two outs and delivered a two-run single to make it 4-0. After Tacoma scored one run in each of the second and third innings, the Dodgers (52-37) scored three runs in the fourth inning after hitting three doubles, the last of which was a two-run double with two outs by Ryan Noda. Jake Amaya added a RBI single in the seventh inning to give the Dodgers their largest lead at 8-2. The Rainiers (37-51) scored two runs in the seventh inning but could not get any closer. Carson Fulmer entered the game in the eighth inning with two runners on and one out and retired all five batters he faced, with strikeouts of each of the three batters in the ninth inning.

Of Note:

-The Dodgers scored at least eight runs for the third time in five games this series and have scored at least eight runs in each of their last five wins. They tallied 12 hits Saturday, including four doubles, and went 6-for-17 with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers scored five of their first seven runs with two outs and went 3-for-6 when there were runners in scoring position with two outs. On the other side, they held Tacoma 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position overall and 0-for-5 when there were two outs.

-Jason Martin went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs and a walk. He picked up his third straight multi-RBI game and fourth multi-RBI game in five games during the current series. He’s hit safely in each game of the series, going 7-for-22 with two homers and nine RBI. Overall, Martin has hit safely in 11 of his 13 games this month, batting .327(17x52) with six homers, two doubles and 14 RBI.

-Drew Avans led off the game with a double and has led off each of the last three games with a hit. He reached base three times with two hits and a hit by pitch, extending his current on-base streak to 28 games, which is the longest by an OKC player this year and longest active streak in the PCL. He has now hit safely in 24 of his last 28 games and has reached base safely in 42 of his last 43 games. He’s also on a season-best eight-game hitting streak, going 13-for-36 (.361).

-Jake Amaya went 3-for-4 with a RBI and now has four multi-hit games this series. Over five games in Tacoma, Amaya is 9-for-18 with three walks. His three hits are tied for his most in a game since joining OKC.

-Carson Fulmer recorded the final five outs and struck out three batters to earn his eighth save. It was Fulmer’s eighth consecutive scoreless appearance (9.2 IP) and 12th consecutive appearance without allowing an earned run (14.1 IP).

-The Dodgers set a season high with four stolen bases, with one each by Jake Amaya, Drew Avans, Michael Busch and James Outman. They have stolen seven bases over the last two games.

What’s Next: The Dodgers play their final game before the All-Star Break Sunday starting at 3:35 p.m. CT in Tacoma. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers 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 OKC Dodgers games are also available streamed live on MiLB.TV with a subscription.