Travs Bow Twice To Tulsa Tuesday

Little Rock  - The Tulsa Drillers picked up two wins on Tuesday night at Dickey-Stephens Park and shutout the Arkansas Travelers in both games winning by scores of 2-0 and 1-0 in 11 innings. Six Drillers pitchers combined to hold the Travs to just five base hits combined between both games. Travs pitchers only allowed ten base hits on a night that also saw 35 consecutive batters retired at one point.

The two losses put the Travs record at 7-11 overall, but 1-9 in the last 10 games. Tulsa became the second team to sweep a doubleheader at Dickey-Stephens Park along with the Frisco RoughRiders to improve to 9-9.

GAME ONE

Tulsa right handed pitcher Dan Winkler (2-1) was the star of the night for a complete-game seven-inning shutout. Winkler lowered his ERA to 0.75 and held the Travs to one base hit while walking just one batter against ten strikeouts.

Michael Roth (0-3) took the loss in the opener and was wild early on with five walks in the first three innings. He settled in for his last three innings and retired the last eight Tulsa batters, but he also allowed two runs in the third inning to fall behind.

Drillers shortstop Taylor Featherston hit a sharp single through Kaleb's Cowart's legs to start the Drillers' third inning. Roth followed by hitting Christian Adames with a pitch as he squared to bunt. Both runners advanced when Tom Murphy hit a slow roller to first baseman Mike Snyder. Roth took a step towards escape when Ryan Casteel popped out, but then he suddenly lost command. Tim Smalling walked to load the bases which Roth followed with a walk to Harold Riggins giving Tulsa a 1-0 lead. Jayson Langfels then beat out a high chopper to third base allowing Adames to score for a 2-0 Tulsa lead.

Winkler had a no-hitter for four innings, but Snyder ended that with a double to begin the fifth inning. Winkler buckled down and retires the next eight batters including five on strikes to finish the first complete game in the Texas League this season. Out of 88 pitches, Winkler threw 65 strikes and retired 21 of 23 batters faced.

GAME TWO

The Travs and Drillers played ten scoreless innings until Christian Adames poked a two-out RBI single in the 11th inning off Orangel Arenas. Drew Rucinski was outstanding with six innings for the Travs to lower his ERA to 0.86. The Drillers only collected two hits off the right hander while Rucinski struck out six against the team he grew up rooting for in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

The Drillers pieced the second game together using five pitchers out of their bullpen. Veteran lefty Carlos Hernandez held the Travs to two hits and two walks in 3.1 innings. Ken Roberts relieved in the fourth inning after Eric Stamets singled and Jett Bandy walked to strand two inherited runners when Jimmy Swift grounded out to shortstop. That started a stretch of 35 consecutive batters retired between both pitching staffs.

Robert threw 2.2 perfect innings while Rucinski retired the last 15 batters of his night. Travs righty Cam Bedrosian struck out three in a row in one innings when R.J. Alvarez had a clean eighth inning.

Meanwhile Ryan Aarowood set down the first six batters after entering in the seventh inning.

The 35-batter stretch ended when Tulsa centerfielder Delta Cleary, Jr. singled off Alvarez in the ninth inning. Alvarez though struck out Featherston and Adames to send the game to the bottom of the ninth.
Travs pitchers combined to struck out 14 batters in the nightcap.

In the bottom of the ninth, Aarowood issued a leadoff walk to Kaleb Cowart. Borenstein though hit a squibber to Featherston near second base and he flipped to Adamres to start a double play neutralizing the Travs threat.

The Travs had a chance to win the game in the tenth inning when Kraig Sitton walked Jimmy Swift and Andy Workman with two outs. Sitton bounced back and struck out Kyle Hudson looking to keep the game alive.

Then Tulsa struck in the 11th inning with three base hits off Orangel Arenas (L, 0-1). Tyler Massey pulled a one-out single to center and moved to second when Featherston stroked his fourth hit of the day, a single to left field. Ahead 2-0 in the count Adames grounded a single to center field bringing Massey to the plate with the only run.

Borenstein kept the Travs hoping in the bottom of the 11th inning with a two-out double off Drillers' closer Scott Oberg. However Stamets popped out to right field to end the game giving Oberg his fourth save.