Ward’s Big Homer Caps Late Drillers Rally
TULSA, OK – The first sellout crowd of the season filled ONEOK Field Friday night, and the 7,972 fans in attendance were treated to a dramatic, late rally from the Drillers and outfielder Ryan Ward. Trailing Amarillo for most of the night, the Drillers overturned a two-run deficit in a
TULSA, OK – The first sellout crowd of the season filled ONEOK Field Friday night, and the 7,972 fans in attendance were treated to a dramatic, late rally from the Drillers and outfielder Ryan Ward. Trailing Amarillo for most of the night, the Drillers overturned a two-run deficit in a pivotal eighth inning with a three-run rally that was capped by a two-run homer from Ward. The rally gave the Drillers a 4-3 win over the Sod Poodles and improved their season record to 5-2.
The Drillers had never led in the game until their late uprising. With Amarillo holding a 3-1 lead, Devin Mann started the comeback with a leadoff double. A walk and a wild pitch followed that put runners at the corners with no outs.
Andy Pages went down on strikes, but Michael Busch pulled Tulsa to within a run with a sacrifice fly that plated Mann and brought Ward to the plate. The left fielder jumped on the first pitch he saw and belted an opposite-field drive that just cleared the left field wall for the two-run homer that gave the Drillers their first lead of the night.
Reliever Austin Drury made sure that Ward remained the game’s hero, making quick work of the Sold Poodles with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to preserve the win.
The two teams have now split the first two games of their six-game series.
For most of the night, it appeared that Amarillo would cruise to its second straight victory after taking an early lead.
Each team scored an unearned run in the first inning. For the Drillers, leadoff batter James Outman reached safely when left fielder Eduardo Diaz failed to hold onto his fly ball. With Outman at second, Pages dropped a single into centerfield that tied the score at 1-1.
The Sod Poodles quickly regained the lead in the top of the second on Jancarlos Cintron’s solo home run.
They used another solo homer in the top of the sixth to increase their lead to 3-1. With one out, Leandro Cedeno’s drive just got over the glove of a leaping Ward and onto the left field berm.
The score remain unchanged until Tulsa’s eighth-inning rally.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:
*For Ward, it was his second homer in as many nights. The Bryant University product now has two on the season after hitting 27 for Great Lakes last year.
*Tulsa pitchers were outstanding, surrendering only three hits. Starter Clayton Beeter gave up two runs in three innings, but only one was earned. He allowed just one hit while striking out seven of the nine batters he retired.
Justin Hagenman worked two scoreless innings with with four strikeouts in relief of Beeter.
Nick Robertson only surrendered Cedeno’s homer in two innings before giving way to Drury. The lefthander did not allow a base runner over the final two innings while striking out three to collect his first win of the season.
*Tulsa had only five hits in the game with two of them coming in the eighth-inning rally.
*The game featured six errors, three from each team.
*Two Amarillo players departed the game after apparent injuries. Catcher Andy Yerzy had to leave in the top of the fifth inning when a foul ball caromed off his bat and struck him in the face. Left fielder Diaz was removed after appearing to injure his arm attempting to catch Ward’s home run. Both players walked off the field under their own power.
UP NEXT:
The two teams will wrap up their six-game series with doubleheader on Saturday. The first game will start at 4:30 p.m. and the second game will start approximately 30 minute after the conclusion of the opener. The pitching matchups will feature:
Amarillo – RHP Bryce Jarvis (0-0, 5.79 ERA) & RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-0, 2.08 ERA)
Tulsa – LHP John Rooney (1-2, 3.74 ERA) & Alec Gamboa (1-0, 4.50 ERA)