Drillers Fail to Hold Lead, Drop Fifth Straight
MIDLAND, TX – For the second straight game Wednesday night, the Tulsa Drillers bullpen failed to hold a late-innings lead, resulting in a second straight loss to the Midland RockHounds. Tulsa held a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning but saw the RockHounds rally to tie the game and then
MIDLAND, TX – For the second straight game Wednesday night, the Tulsa Drillers bullpen failed to hold a late-innings lead, resulting in a second straight loss to the Midland RockHounds. Tulsa held a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning but saw the RockHounds rally to tie the game and then explode for six late runs in what turned into a 10-4 loss for the Drillers.
The defeat was similar to Tuesday’s loss for Tulsa when Midland rallied from a pair of deficits and took advantage of an eighth-inning error to post a series-opening win. The Drillers have now lost a season high five straight games.
Tulsa jumped out to an early lead in Wednesday’s matchup with two first-inning runs as Taylor Young and Brendon Davis both doubled.
Midland tied the game with single runs in both the second and third innings off Drillers starting pitcher Orlando Ortiz-Mayr.
Tulsa answered with two more runs in the top of the fourth to retake the lead. Diego Cartaya singled home one of the runs, and Austin Beck plated the other with a sacrifice fly.
The 4-2 lead disappeared in a two-run sixth inning from the RockHounds. The first two batters of the inning singled off reliever Michael Hobbs before a double play produced a pair of outs and left a runner at third base. Antonio Knowles replaced Hobbs and worked a full count on Cooper Bowman before surrendering a game-tying home run.
With score tied at 4-4, Colby Thomas led off the bottom of the seventh with another home run off Knowles to give the RockHounds a lead they would not surrender.
Any hopes of a Tulsa comeback ended when Midland scored three runs off Ryan Sublette and two more off Ben Harris in a five-run eighth inning.
INSIDE THE GAME
*The Tulsa bullpen opened the series in the Midland with a 2.72 ERA this season, the lowest mark for any bullpen in the Texas League. Relievers were charged with eight runs in five innings of work in Wednesday’s loss, increasing the pen’s ERA to 3.32.
*Midland out-hit Tulsa 17-8 in the game.
*Griffin Lockwood-Powell finished 2-3 and was the only Drillers player with more than one hit in the game.
*Yeiner Fernandez was 1-4 with a double and has now reached base safely in 21 straight games.
*Newcomer Alex Freeland was 1-3 with one run scored in his Double-A debut. Freeland was promoted to the Drillers on Tuesday to replace Austin Gauthier who was assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
*A total of ten pitchers worked in the game, five for each team.
*Tulsa hitters struck out 13 times.
UP NEXT:
The Drillers and RockHounds will continue their series on Thursday night at Momentum Bank Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
TUL – RHP Kendall Williams (1-2, 7.36 ERA)
MID - TBA