Drillers Drop Early Lead and Fall to RockHounds
The Tulsa Drillers opened their first road series of the season Tuesday night in Midland, Texas against the RockHounds. The Drillers held the lead for most of the game before the RockHounds posted six runs in the seventh inning. However, the Drillers did not go away as they rallied for
The Tulsa Drillers opened their first road series of the season Tuesday night in Midland, Texas against the RockHounds. The Drillers held the lead for most of the game before the RockHounds posted six runs in the seventh inning. However, the Drillers did not go away as they rallied for two runs in the ninth, but they left the bases loaded to end the game and fell to the RockHounds 10-8.
After his dominating performance in his first appearance of the 2023 season, Emmet Sheehan was back on the mound for the second time in his first start of the year.
The Drillers staked him to an early lead, scoring three runs in the game’s first seven pitches. Jorbit Vivas began the night with a double and quickly scored when Andy Pages singled to left field. Brandon Lewis followed with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, to give Tulsa a 3-0 lead.
Sheehan opened with two scoreless frames to run his scoreless innings streak to seven. Five of the first six outs he recorded came on strikeouts. The RockHounds ended Sheehan’s scoreless streak in the bottom of the third broke when Max Schuemann struck for a solo home run, and Brett Harris produced an RBI double to bring the score to 3-2.
Sheehan finished his outing by retiring the side in order in the fourth.
Tulsa increased its lead in the fifth. The inning began with consecutive singles from Josh Stowers and Jonny DeLuca. After a flyout and stolen base advanced the runners to second and third, Pages plated both runners with a single to increase the lead to 5-2.
Lael Lockhart replaced Sheehan on the mound in the fifth inning. In his season debut, Lockhart worked a scoreless fifth before Midland narrowed the lead to one in the sixth. With a runner at first, Greg Deichman homered to right to make the score 5-4.
Tulsa upped its lead to two runs in the seventh thanks to a run-scoring single from Diego Cartaya. It was his first Double-A RBI and gave the Drillers a 6-4 cushion.
The lead disappeared behind a six-run seventh inning from the Hounds. The big inning featured six hits, a walk and a balk and gave Midland its first lead of the night at 10-6.
Tulsa made things interesting in the ninth. A walk and a stolen base set up Jose Ramos for an RBI single. Following a second base hit, a wild pitch brought the score to 10-8. Two more walks loaded the bases for the Drillers, but a fly out to left center from Vivas ended the rally and the game.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:
*Sheehan finished his evening by going four innings and giving up two runs with nine strikeouts.
*Ramos had three hits in five at-bats.
*Pages and Lewis each recorded two hits, with Pages driving in three runs and Lewis two.
*Carlo Reyes made his second appearance out of the bullpen and tossed a scoreless eighth.
*Two Drillers players left the game in the ninth inning. After fouling a ball off his foot, Cartaya drew a walk and was pinch ran for. Yusniel Diaz replaced Cartaya and exited the game after a hard slide into second base.
*With the Drillers scoring seven runs, fans can get a large, one-topping pizza from Mazzio’s for just $7 all day Wednesday. The offer is only good online at Mazzio’s.com when you use the code DRILLERS at checkout.
UP NEXT:
The Drillers will continue their first road trip of the season Wednesday night with game two of theirs six-game series against the RockHounds. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Momentum Bank Ballpark in Midland, and the pitching matchup is slated to be:
Tulsa- RHP Landon Knack (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Midland- RHP J.T. Ginn (0-0, 0.00 ERA season debut)