Drillers Rally but Lose in Extra Innings
TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Drillers had another stellar start on the mound against the Corpus Christi Hooks Thursday night, this time from Clayton Beeter, as he began the game working four hitless innings at ONEOK Field. The great start did not hold up as the Hooks scored two runs
TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Drillers had another stellar start on the mound against the Corpus Christi Hooks Thursday night, this time from Clayton Beeter, as he began the game working four hitless innings at ONEOK Field. The great start did not hold up as the Hooks scored two runs in both the sixth and eighth innings to take the lead. The Drillers answered with a two-out, two-run homer from Ryan Ward to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth and send it into extra innings. However, the game unraveled for Tulsa in the tenth inning as the Hooks scored five times and sent the Drillers to a 9-4 loss.
The Drillers had opened the game’s scoring with a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Jacob Amaya hit a solo home run into the Hooks bullpen to give the Drillers the game’s first run. Then, with runners at first and third, Corpus Christi pitcher Matt Ruppenthal committed a balk that scored the runner from third for a 2-0 Tulsa lead.
In the sixth, the Hooks scored two runs to tie the game. Following a walk and a double, Enmanuel Valdez drove in Corpus Christi’s first run with a single to center. The second run scored on a wild pitch from Tulsa reliever Austin Drury.
Yainer Diaz gave the Hooks the lead in the eighth on a two-run homer off Drillers’ reliever Guillermo Zuniga, bringing the score to 4-2.
Tulsa was down to its final two strikes before rallying behind Ward’s seventh homer of the season that tied the game in the ninth. The blast cleared the perimeter, iron fencing well beyond the right field foul pole.
The excitement was short-lived as the wheels came off for the Drillers in the tenth when the Hooks plated five runs on four hits, an intentional walk, a hit batter and a passed ball to claim the win.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:
*Beeter was dominant in his four innings of no-hit work. He allowed just two base runners on a pair of walks while striking out a career high eight.
*Amaya continues to shine at the plate as his home run was his fifth in the past five games.
*Reliever Jordan Leasure made his first appearance with the Drillers since being promoted from Great Lakes on Tuesday. Leasure struck out the side in his first inning of work, but he was eventually charged with two runs after surrendering a walk and a double while retiring one batter in the next inning.
*The Drillers failed to take advantage of 11 walks from Corpus Christi pitchers.
*The Tulsa pitching staff struck out 15 Hooks batters.
*With the loss, the Drillers are now 1-1 in extra-inning games this season.
UP NEXT:
The two teams will continue their six-game set Friday night, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. at ONEOK Field. The starting pitchers are scheduled to be:
CC – RHP Cody Deason (0-1, 9.95 ERA)
Tulsa – LHP John Rooney (0-0, 3.68 ERA)