Reed, DeLuca Deliver to give Drillers Walk-Off Win
TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Drillers got two big home runs from a pair of newcomers on Friday night to rally for a dramatic win over Arkansas. Buddy Reed homered in his first-ever at-bat with the Drillers to tie the game in the sixth inning, and Jonny DeLuca hit a
TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Drillers got two big home runs from a pair of newcomers on Friday night to rally for a dramatic win over Arkansas. Buddy Reed homered in his first-ever at-bat with the Drillers to tie the game in the sixth inning, and Jonny DeLuca hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Drillers a 7-5 walk-off win and set off a home plate celebration at ONEOK Field crowd.
Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Reed was called upon by manager Scott Hennessey to pinch hit, and on just the second pitch he saw as a Driller, Reed belted a two-run homer that landed well beyond the left-center field fence to tie the game at 5-5.
In the bottom of the ninth, Reed led off the inning with a single to left to set the stage for DeLuca’s game-winning home run, his sixth with the Drillers, and the 24th of the 2022 season. Down in the count 0-2, DeLuca hit an opposite-field drive that landed just beyond the reach of Arkansas right fielder Zach DeLoach for the game winner.
Tulsa began the night quickly, scoring two runs in its first trip to the plate. DeLuca started the inning with a walk, and Ward followed with a single. A fly out moved the runners to first and third before a passed ball let DeLuca come home with the game’s first run. Kody Hoese and Carson Taylor followed with a walk and a single to load the bases, and Devin Mann plated a second run with a sacrifice fly to put the Drillers ahead 2-0.
Tulsa manufactured a third run in the third inning when Mann doubled to the left-center gap to score Hoese from first to put Tulsa ahead 3-0.
Alec Gamboa was effective in just his second start of the season as he worked the first four innings, giving up only one run.
The Travelers put their first run on the board in the fourth inning. Following Jake Scheiner’s leadoff double, Matt Scheffler singled off Gamboa to plate Scheiner and make the score 3-1.
In the fifth, the Travs quickly loaded the bases on two singles and a walk against Clayton Beeter. Scheiner promptly cleared the bases with a grand slam home run that put Arkansas up 5-3.
The Drillers bullpen set the stage for the comeback win by keeping Arkansas scoreless for the final four innings.
Keegan Curtis kept the Travs scoreless for 1.1 innings, followed by Jose Martinez’s scoreless seventh.
Jordan Leasure entered in the eighth inning and hurled two scoreless innings to earn his second professional win.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:
*Reed, who was a part of the 2019 Amarillo Sod Poodles that defeated the Drillers in the Texas League Championship Series, was signed by the Dodgers after being released by the Oakland Athletics in May of this year. He was added to the Drillers roster on July 28. DeLuca has only been with the Drillers since July 4.
*Leasure has not allowed a run in his last 8.1 innings over seven outings and has allowed just one earned run since May 29.
*DeLuca and Brandon Lewis each extended their on-base streaks. DeLuca has now reached in 12 straight games with his walk in the first inning, and Lewis has now reached in 11 consecutive games.
*The Drillers wore special-edition Captain America jerseys as part of Minor League Baseball’s Marvel Defenders of the Diamond Night at ONEOK Field.
UP NEXT: The Drillers and Travelers will continue their six-game series with game five on Saturday night at ONEOK Field. Starting time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are scheduled to be:
Arkansas – RHP Taylor Dollard (9-2, 1.54 ERA)
Tulsa – RHP Kyle Hurt (0-1, 9.28 ERA)