Drillers Win First-Half Title
MIDLAND, TX – The Tulsa Drillers punched their ticket to the postseason on Thursday night with a 4-1 win over the Midland RockHounds at Momentum Bank Ballpark. By clinching the Texas League North Division First-Half Championship, it is the fourth time in five seasons that Tulsa has appeared in the
MIDLAND, TX – The Tulsa Drillers punched their ticket to the postseason on Thursday night with a 4-1 win over the Midland RockHounds at Momentum Bank Ballpark. By clinching the Texas League North Division First-Half Championship, it is the fourth time in five seasons that Tulsa has appeared in the postseason, all under the leadership of Manager Scott Hennessey.
The Drillers totaled 11 hits in the game as Tulsa scored two runs in the third and seventh innings. The bats were backed by stellar pitching from the Tulsa staff as five pitchers held Midland to six hits while striking out 16 batters in the game.
Both starting pitchers kept the game scoreless through the first two innings, but Tulsa was able to break through in the top of the third. The Drillers put the game’s first run on the board when Devin Mann began the inning with a double, and Ryan Ward followed with a standup triple on the next pitch. Carson Taylor brought Ward home with a single to right that gave Tulsa a 2-0 lead.
Beeter continued to keep the RockHounds scoreless before exiting the game after
four innings. Alec Gamboa followed and helped keep the Drillers in front, working two innings.
Midland cut the lead in half in the fifth when William Simoneit scored on Chase Calabuig’s groundout to make it a 2-1 game.
Tulsa added two insurance runs in the seventh inning when a single and a walk put James Outman and Ward on base. Hunter Feduccia plated both runners with a double to left to give the Drillers a 4-1 lead.
Jordan Leasure pitched the seventh inning for Tulsa and kept Midland off the board, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. The hard-throwing Jose Adames followed by pitching a scoreless eighth inning.
Nick Robertson was called upon in the ninth inning in a save situation and did not give the RockHounds a chance to mount a comeback. Robertson closed out the game by striking out the side in order on just 12 pitches to secure the title clinching win.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:
*The Texas League playoffs are set to begin on September 20 in a best-of-three division round. The Drillers will open the series on the the road with game two and if necessary game three scheduled for September 22 and 23 at ONEOK Field.
*Gamboa earned his team-leading seventh win of the season.
*Devin Mann increased his on-base streak to ten games with his single in the first inning.
*With his scoreless inning pitched, Leasure has not allowed a run in his last ten outings.
*Former Tulsa Drillers pitcher Zack Plunkett pitched 2.1 relief inning for Midland. Plunkett signed with the Oakland Athletics on May 19 after being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
*The Drillers announced today that reliever Tanner Dodson was put on the development list, and righthander Keegan Curtis was added to the Drillers roster as a free agent. Curtis pitched in 14 games for the Amarillo Sod Poodles this season.
UP NEXT:
The Drillers and RockHounds will meet again on Friday night in the fourth game of their six-game series. Starting time is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Midland’s Momentum Bank Ballpark. The pitching matchup is expected to be:
Tulsa – RHP Gavin Stone (2-2, 1.45 ERA)
Midland – TBA