Six Homers Lead Drillers over Wind Surge
TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Drillers returned to the win column on Saturday by snapping the Wichita Wind Surge’s seven-game win streak behind six home runs. Tulsa’s 10-4 win was fueled by an offensive outburst that was highlighted by Ryan Ward’s two home runs, putting him atop the Texas League
TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Drillers returned to the win column on Saturday by snapping the Wichita Wind Surge’s seven-game win streak behind six home runs. Tulsa’s 10-4 win was fueled by an offensive outburst that was highlighted by Ryan Ward’s two home runs, putting him atop the Texas League and all of Double-A with 24 homers this season.
The win also puts Tulsa just one win away from claiming its first Coors Light Propeller Series. The Propeller Trophy is presented to the winner of the regular season series between the Drillers and Wind Surge.
Clayton Beeter made his 16th start of the season on the mound for the Drillers on Saturday, and he worked his usual four innings but not before the Wind Surge scored four runs in the first two frames. With two outs in the first inning, Jair Camargo and Chris Williams hit consecutive home runs to give Wichita a 2-0 lead.
The Drillers responded to tie the game in the bottom half of the first, scoring two runs on an RBI double from Andy Pages and an RBI single from Justin Yurchak.
Wichita regained the lead in the second inning when Leobaldo Cabrera and Edouard Julien hit back-to-back doubles that plated two runs.
The Drillers took over from there, scoring eight unanswered runs thanks to six homers Ryan January began the outburst in the fourth inning with his first-ever Double-A home run.
Three more homers followed in the fifth inning. The onslaught began with Ward hitting his first homer of the night, followed by a solo shot from Pages. Leonel Valera capped the five-run inning with a three-run homer that gave the Drillers an 8-4 advantage.
In the sixth, Ward hit his second blast to not only increase the Drillers lead to 9-4, but to also place him in sole possession of the Texas League’s home run lead with 24.
Brandon Lewis kept it going for Tulsa with a solo shot in the seventh inning to account for the game’s final run.
Not to be overshadowed, Tulsa reliever Alec Gamboa took the mound in the fifth inning and tossed three scoreless innings by retiring nine of the ten batters he faced on his way to earning his ninth win of the season.
Jordan Leasure and Guillermo Zuniga each worked a scoreless inning without allowing a hit to complete the win.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:
*Saturday night marked the third time this season that Ward has hit two home runs in a game. He previously achieved the feat on April 22 against Springfield and May 17 against Amarillo.
*Gamboa is now a perfect 9-0 on the season, and the nine wins lead all Double-A pitchers.
*Yurchak extended his team-high hitting streak to 14 games with two hits. He has also reached base safely in his last 17 games.
*The Drillers have now hit 131 homers on the year, which is the most by any team in Double-A and the fourth-most in all the minors.
*The Drillers matched their season high with 18 hits in the game.
*Louie Varland, the younger brother of Drillers pitcher Gus Varland, made the start for Wichita and was charged with three runs in four innings.
UP NEXT: The Drillers and Wind Surge will finish their brief, three-game series on Sunday afternoon at ONEOK Field. The Drillers look to clinch their first Coors Light Propeller Series with a victory. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers will be:
Wichita – LHP Kody Funderburk (7-2, 2.66 ERA)
Tulsa – RHP Kyle Hurt (0-1, 14.85 ERA)