Drillers Resume Play with Loss to Midland
Midland, TX – The Tulsa Drillers returned to action on Friday night following the four-day break for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The Drillers followed the break by beginning a three-game series with the Midland RockHounds at Momentum Bank Ballpark. Tulsa trailed for most of the night as they
Midland, TX – The Tulsa Drillers returned to action on Friday night following the four-day break for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The Drillers followed the break by beginning a three-game series with the Midland RockHounds at Momentum Bank Ballpark.
Tulsa trailed for most of the night as they failed to do damage against RockHounds pitching. The Drillers rallied to take the lead in the seventh by scoring four runs on four hits and a walk. The lead did not last long as Midland scored the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the seventh on two wild pitches to hand the Drillers a 5-4 loss at Momentum Bank Ballpark.
The RockHounds used four hits to score the game’s first two runs in the third inning. Max Muncy, who was a 2021 first-round draft pick and was just added to the Midland roster from High-A earlier in the day, drove in the first run with a single. Denzel Clarke plated Muncy with a single to left field for the RockHounds second run.
Offensively, the Drillers struggled against Midland pitcher Joey Estes, who began his outing in the second inning and struck out the first seven Tulsa hitters he faced. Estes finished by tossing 4.1 innings and allowing just three hits with eight strikeouts.
In the fifth, after reaching on a fielder’s choice, Cooper Bowman stole second and third bases and eventually scored on a single from Drew Swift to give the RockHounds a 3-0 lead.
The Drillers offense awakened in the seventh inning and scored four runs to take the lead. With two runners on base, Ismael Alcantara drove in Yusniel Diaz with a single for Tulsa’s first run. A sacrifice fly by Austin Gauthier and an RBI double from Jose Ramos tied the game. Jorbit Vivas gave the Drillers a 4-3 lead by scoring on a wild pitch.
Just as the Drillers took the lead on a wild pitch, Midland scored the game-tying and go-ahead runs in the seventh on two wild pitches from Tulsa pitcher Orlando Ortiz-Mayr to make the score 5-4.
Tulsa failed to make another comeback as Durbin Feltman retired the Drillers in order in the eighth and ninth innings.
*HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS: *
*Tulsa starting pitcher Nick Nastrini made his longest start of the season on Friday as he worked six innings and gave up six hits, three runs and no walks with eight strikeouts. The eight strikeouts matched a season-high for Nastrini.
*Ortiz-Mayr received the loss after pitching the final two innings and giving up two hits, two runs and one walk with one strikeout. He threw three wild pitches.
*The teams combined to issue just four walks.
*The loss gives Tulsa a 17-20 record on the road this season.
*The Drillers earned just four hits outside of their four-run seventh inning.
*The temperature at first pitch was 103 degrees in Midland.
*The Drillers announced a series of roster moves before the game. Pitcher Robbie Peto was added back to the Drillers roster from Oklahoma City. Pitcher Jack Little was activated from the Injured List, and pitcher Ben Casparius and catcher Hamlet Marte were placed on the Development List.
UP NEXT:
The Drillers and RockHounds will continue their three-game series on Saturday night at Momentum Bank Ballpark. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. and the starting pitchers are scheduled to be:
Tulsa – RHP Nick Frasso (1-3, 4.01 ERA)
Midland- TBA