First-Half Concludes with Loss to Naturals
Tulsa, OK – The first half of the season came to a tough end Sunday afternoon for the Tulsa Drillers. Playing for the final time as the TulsaSound, the Drillers scored four times in the first inning, but that would be the extent of their offensive output as Northwest Arkansas
Tulsa, OK – The first half of the season came to a tough end Sunday afternoon for the Tulsa Drillers. Playing for the final time as the TulsaSound, the Drillers scored four times in the first inning, but that would be the extent of their offensive output as Northwest Arkansas rallied with 11 straight runs. The end result was an 11-4 victory for the Naturals at ONEOK Field.
The victory gave the Naturals five wins in the six-game series.
After hitting just four home runs in the first five games of the series, the Drillers got half that many in Sunday’s first inning. Batting third in the lineup, Jose Ramos opened the game’s scoring with a two-run homer. Three batters later, Diego Cartaya matched Ramos with another two-run shot to give the Drillers a 4-0 first-inning lead.
The cushion lasted only until the top of the fourth. Tulsa pitcher Ben Casparius, who entered the game in the second inning, walked the leadoff batter in the fourth. After a double from Jimmy Govern put runners at second and third, a ground out plated the Naturals’ first run.
Following a strikeout, Casparius hit Parker Bates with a pitch. Peyton Wilson followed with a three-run homer onto the right field berm that promptly tied the score at 4-4.
Tulsa’s hopes of a victory in the finale ended with another four-run outburst from the Naturals in the seventh inning. The rally was jump started when reliever Aldry Acosta hit the first two batters of the inning with pitches. Bates singled in the go-ahead run, and a two-out throwing error brought home another. A two-run double from Parker Means capped the inning and gave the Naturals an 8-4 lead.
They added three more in the eighth to account for the final score.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:
*Tulsa finished the first half with a 41-28 record. It is tied for the second most wins in the first half of a season in franchise history. The 2005 Drillers hold the first-half record with 43 victories.
*Tulsa lost the division race to Arkansas who finished with the best record in Double A. The Drillers finished tied for the third most wins among all 30 Double-A teams.
*The Drillers had three hits in the first inning but only two more over the final eight innings. In the six-game series, they hit just .185 as a team.
*Rancho Cucamonga bench coach Ronny Paulino has joined the Drillers and coached first base during Sunday’s game. Paulino will be with the club during manager Scott Hennessey’s medical leave of absence.
UP NEXT:
The Drillers will have two off days before opening a six-game series Wednesday night in Amarillo. First pitch for the opener with the Sod Poodles is set for 7:05 p.m. at Hodgetown. Neither team has named a starting pitcher.