OKC Hangs On For 9-8 Win Against El Paso

Oklahoma City Dodgers – 9

El Paso Chihuahuas – 8

Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022 – Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City, Okla.

Game Summary: The Oklahoma City Dodgers scored five runs in the seventh inning then held off a late surge by the El Paso Chihuahuas in a 9-8 win Saturday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark to take a 3-2 lead in the series between the top two teams in the PCL East Division. Trailing by one run, the Dodgers (70-52) scored five runs in the seventh inning for a 9-5 advantage. Jake Amaya and Hunter Feduccia hit back-to-back RBI singles before Miguel Vargas connected on a three-run home run out to center field for a four-run lead. The Chihuahuas (66-55) went on to score three runs in the top of the ninth inning after loading the bases with no outs. C.J. Hinojosa hit a RBI single before an errant throw on a fielder’s choice allowed two more runs to score and cut OKC’s lead to 9-8. Dodgers reliever Heath Hembree then retired the next three Chihuahuas batters to earn his first save with the Dodgers. Earlier in the night, the Dodgers built a 4-0 lead through three innings, scoring a run on a wild pitch before two-run double by Devin Mann in the second inning and a RBI single by Ryan Noda in the third inning. El Paso’s Luis Liberato connected on a grand slam in the fifth inning to tie the score and the Chihuahuas took a 5-4 lead on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

Of Note:

-With Saturday’s win, the Dodgers took a 3-2 lead in their six-game series against the Chihuahuas. Oklahoma City holds first place in the PCL East Division and extended to a 3.5-game lead ahead of second-place El Paso with Saturday’s victory.

-Miguel Vargas entered Saturday’s game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and remained in the game at third base. In his second at-bat of the night, Vargas hit a three-run home run out to center field for his 16th home run of the season to extend his hitting streak to 13 games — the longest active hitting streak in the PCL. He finished the night 1-for-2 with three RBI and during the streak is 18-for-43 (.419) with nine RBI and 13 runs scored.

-The five runs scored by the Dodgers in the seventh inning were the most runs scored by the team in a single inning since scoring five runs in the fifth inning of a 13-8 win against the Chihuahuas Wednesday night. Saturday marked the 26th time this season the Dodgers scored five or more runs in an inning.

-James Outman went 2-for-5 with two doubles and scored a run. During the current series with the Chihuahuas, Outman is batting 10-for-18 (.555) with five doubles, three triples, a home run and 13 RBI over five games

-Ryan Noda and Jason Martin both extended their on-base streaks Saturday. Ryan Noda connected on a RBI single, drew two walks and scored a run to extend his on-base streak to 17 games — tying his season-high on-base streak. Martin singled and scored a run and has now reached base in a season-best 18 straight games.

-Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen continued his Major League Rehab Assignment and made his sixth appearance with OKC. He entered the game in the sixth inning with two runners on base and no outs and retired all three batters he faced, including a sacrifice fly. He threw 13 pitches, including nine strikes. He has been on the LAD Injured List since April 22 with right shoulder inflammation.

-Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy Kahnle (1-0) made the second appearance of his ML Rehab Assignment with OKC and pitched a scoreless seventh inning with one hit, one walk and one strikeout. He faced five batters and threw 23 pitches, including 11 strikeouts and was credited with the win. He has been on the LAD IL since May 14 due to right forearm inflammation.

-The Dodgers improved to 19-13 in one-run games with Saturday’s victory.

-The Dodgers took the field in special retro OKC 89ers jerseys and hats in a nod to the franchise’s history on OKC 89ers Night. The team’s jerseys were auctioned online through the MiLB Auctions website to benefit the OKC Dodgers Baseball Foundation. The 89ers played at All Sports Stadium from 1962-97 before the franchise relocated to Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in 1998.

What’s Next: The series between the Dodgers and Chihuahuas wraps up at 6:05 p.m. Sunday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and kids can run the bases following the game. Tickets are available at okcdodgers.com/tickets. 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. Sunday’s game is also scheduled as the MiLB on MLB.TV free game and will be available on MLB.TV and MLB.com.