Outman Powers Drillers to Split with Amarillo
TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Drillers used another late rally Saturday night to gain a split of a doubleheader with Amarillo and a split of the six-game series between the two teams. After the Sod Poodles picked up a 7-1 win in the first game of the twin-bill, the Drillers
TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Drillers used another late rally Saturday night to gain a split of a doubleheader with Amarillo and a split of the six-game series between the two teams. After the Sod Poodles picked up a 7-1 win in the first game of the twin-bill, the Drillers overturned a one run deficit in the second game with a pair of late home runs to rally for a 3-2 victory at ONEOK Field. Tulsa had used a three-run eighth-inning rally on Friday to defeat the Poodles.
Tulsa now has a 6-3 season record.
Home runs were the story in the game two victory as Tulsa belted three solo home runs to account for it three runs.
The first came in the bottom of the third inning when James Outman led off with his first homer of the season to make it 1-0.
The Drillers used a pair of nice defensive plays in the fourth to protect the lead. Leandro Cedeno, who had doubled, was at third base with just one out. With the infield in, Tulsa shortstop Jacob Amaya made a sliding stop of a sharp grounder from Nick Dalesandro and kept Cedeno at third before throwing to first for the second out. The next batter, Juan Centeno, hit a drive into left-center field that Outman ran down to end the inning and strand Cedeno.
The Sod Poodles did capitalize on an opportunity in the fifth. Dairon Cuevas led off with a bunt base hit and advanced to second when pitcher Jose Martinez threw wildly to first. Drew Stankiewicz followed with a double that tied the game at 1-1. After a sacrifice bunt, Stankiewicz came home on an infield ground out to give Amarillo a 2-1 lead.
The Drillers responded with another power display. In the bottom of the fifth, Outman delivered his second homer of the game to tie the game. The blast carried 436 feet and cleared the centerfield fence.
In the sixth, Brandon Lewis lined a shot into the Budweiser Terrace beyond the left field fence for his first home run of the year to put the Drillers in front 3-2.
Guillermo Zuniga, who worked a 1-2-3 sixth inning, did the same in the top of the seventh to close out the victory.
In the game one loss, the Drillers were held to just one hit, but they actually led 1-0 after three innings.
In the bottom of the third, Jacob Amaya delivered that one hit with an opposite-field drive that sliced just inside the right field foul pole for his first home run of the season.
Tulsa starting pitcher John Rooney allowed just one hit through the first three innings, but surrendered his first run in fourth. With one out, Dominic Canzone followed with his first homer of the season to tie the game.
The Sod Poodles scored three times in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. Rooney was called for two balks in the inning.
Amarillo plated two more runs in the sixth off reliever Mark Washington and one more in the seventh against Melvin Jimenez.
Amarillo starting pitcher Bryce Jarvis, who was a 2020 first-round draft pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks, was outstanding in the victory. He allowed just the one hit and one run in six innings to gain his first victory of the season.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:
*Outman entered the second game with just a .194 batting average and with just one run batted in. His 2-3 night elevated his average 41 points, and he more than doubled his RBI total to three.
*Alec Gamboa made a spot start in the second game and was outstanding. The lefthander gave up just one hit in three shutout innings.
*Zuniga retired all six batters he faced, including two on strikeouts, to claim the win in game two. It was his first decision of the season.
*After his homer in game one, Amaya went 1-2 in the nightcap.
*The Drillers have now hit nine home runs on the season with four of them coming in Saturday’s doubleheader.
*Rooney set an all-time Tulsa professional baseball record in the first game when he was called for three balks. No Tulsa pitcher had ever committed more than two balks in a single game. The three also matched the Tulsa team record.
UP NEXT:
With no game on Easter Sunday, Tulsa will have a rare two-day break before returning to action on Tuesday in Springfield. The Drillers and Cardinals will play a six-game series with Tuesday’s opener beginning at 6:35 p.m. at Hammons Field. The pitching matchup for game one will be:
Tulsa – RHP Bobby Miller (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Spr - TBA