Winning Home Stand Ends with Loss to Naturals
TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Drillers concluded a successful home stand Sunday afternoon at ONEOK Field, even though it ended on a losing note. The Drillers dropped the series finale in a 6-3 loss to Northwest Arkansas. Despite the defeat, Tulsa concluded the seven-game set with a 5-2 record and
TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Drillers concluded a successful home stand Sunday afternoon at ONEOK Field, even though it ended on a losing note. The Drillers dropped the series finale in a 6-3 loss to Northwest Arkansas. Despite the defeat, Tulsa concluded the seven-game set with a 5-2 record and still very much in the first-half, division title race in the Texas League’s North Division.
The two teams exchanged home runs in the first inning, but the Drillers came up on the short end of the trade. The homer for the Naturals was a three-run shot from Josh Lester, while the counter from the Drillers was a solo homer from Taylor Young.
The Naturals extended their lead to 5-1 with single runs in both the third and fourth innings against starter Hyun-il Choi.
Young got a run back for the Drillers in the sixth inning. After being hit by a pitch, Young stole second base and moved to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Dalton Rushing brought him home on a ground out.
The Naturals closed the game’s scoring with a run in the top of the seventh.
The Drillers had chances in their final two at-bats to get back in the game, loading the bases in both innings with one out. In the eighth, Diego Cartaya hit the ball sharply, but shortstop Leonel Valera snagged the one-hopper and turned it into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
In the ninth with the bases full, Young did the same as Cartaya, but his sharp grounder was fielded with a sliding backhand stop from second baseman Javier Vaz who turned into a force out at second. Dalton Rushing followed with a ground out that ended the game.
INSIDE THE GAME
*The Drillers have three series and 18 games remaining in the first half with two of the series being played on the road. Tulsa will have a six-game series in Amarillo, followed by six games with Arkansas at ONEOK Field. The half will end with a six-game series at Northwest Arkansas.
*Tulsa batters suffered 12 hit by pitches in the series, including three on Sunday.
*The Drillers finished the series with nine stolen bases in 10 attempts, including Young’s steal of second in the sixth inning. He now has 20 stolen bases on the season, the second most in the Texas League.
*Choi was charged with the loss after giving up five runs, four earned, in his four innings of work. The right-hander is now 1-2 with a 7.41 ERA with the Drillers. In six starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City this season, Choi is 2-2 with a 3.34 ERA.
*Ryan Sublette pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Drillers.
*Tulsa reliever Sauryn Lao continued his impressive form, retiring all four batters he faced in the eighth and ninth innings. Lao has not allowed a run since April 12, and has 14-game and 17.0 innings scoreless streaks.
UP NEXT:
The Drillers will now head to west Texas for a six-game series with the Amarillo Sod Poodles at HODGETOWN. It will be the first meetings this season between the two teams. The series will begin on Tuesday evening with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. The starting pitchers for the opener are expected to be:
TUL – RHP Jared Karros (1-0, 5.40 ERA)
AMA – TBA