Hooks Fall in Pitchers' Duel on Ken Schrom Day

CORPUS CHRSITI - On a day dedicated to retiring Hooks president and former Major League pitcher Ken Schrom, the Hooks and Tulsa Drillers engaged in a classic pitchers' duel at Whataburger Field. The Drillers grabbed the win, 4-0.

Brandon Bailey held Tulsa hitless over the first 5.0 frames before a leadoff double by Omar Estevez in the sixth. Bailey fired 5.1 scoreless innings with three walks and seven strikeouts in his final Hooks outing of 2019.
Bailey was matched stride-for-stride by Markus Solbach (W, 5-1), who pitched 7.2 sparkling innings, holding the Hooks scoreless on four hits with nine punchouts. The 28-year-old German didn't allow a free pass in the contest.
Tulsa broke a scoreless draw in the seventh when Carlos Rincon (10) led off the inning with a solo home run off Tommy DeJuneas. It was Rincon's second in as many days against the Hooks.
Donovan Casey provided a sizeable cushion in the eighth with a three-run blast (3) off Nick Hernandez in relief of DeJuneas.
The win clinched the second-half title for the Tulsa Drillers in the Texas League North Divsion, giving them home-field advantage against the Arkansas Travelers.
The announced attendance at Whataburger Field was 4,818, coincidentally honoring Schrom's No. 18 worn during his seven-year career with the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians.
Monday marks the season finale for the Hooks with a 2:15 p.m. contest at Whataburger Field. Top Astros pitching prospect Forrest Whitley (2-2, 4.79) is slated to start against Parker Curry (4-5, 3.58) for Tulsa.