Bombers Walk Past Drillers to Win Another TCL Title
The Tulsa Drillers played for the Texas Collegiate League Championship Saturday night in Brazos Valley and the key story line was walks. Umpires issued 12 walks to Bombers batters to just 3 for Tulsa batters. The result was 11 runs scored for Brazos Valley on just 6 hits in a
The Tulsa Drillers played for the Texas Collegiate League Championship Saturday night in Brazos Valley and the key story line was walks. Umpires issued 12 walks to Bombers batters to just 3 for Tulsa batters. The result was 11 runs scored for Brazos Valley on just 6 hits in a 13-2 championship win for the Bombers. Brazos Valley has now won seven of the last eight TCL titles.
The Drillers struck first in the top of the second. With one out, Clay Owens hit a deep fly ball off the left field wall to put him on second for a double. A ground out by Colby Gomes moved Owens to third, then a wild pitch brought him into score giving Tulsa an early 1-0 lead.
Any hopes of a title disappeared in the bottom of the second as the Bombers scored six runs without the benefit of a single hit. All of the damage came with two outs and the bases empty as Tulsa pitchers could not find the strike zone, issuing six walks and hitting two batters. One error added to the misery as the Bombers basically put the game away by scoring six times to take a 6-1 lead.
Brazos Valley went on to score four more runs in the third on three hits, three walks and a hit batter to extend their lead to 10-1.
The Bombers used their bats to add another in the fourth on a solo home run by Texas A&M’s Austin Bost, extending their lead to 11-1.
The Drillers scored their second run in the sixth after an error by the right fielder plated Aidan Nagle.
Texas A&M’s Logan Sartori hit a two-run homerun in the seventh to account for the final score.
The Bombers big offensive night of 13 runs came on just six base hits.
TULSA HITTERS: The Drillers only managed three hits on the night with Owens, Nagle, and Brody Gibson getting one each.
TULSA PITCHERS: The Drillers used 8 pitchers on the night, accounting for 6 hits allowed, 12 walks issued and 11 strikeouts.
Starting pitcher Matt Merrill suffered the loss despite allowing only one hit in 1.2 innings.
Tulsa’s first four pitchers in the game issued 11 walks in only 4 innings. After the outcome was decided, the final four Tulsa pitchers issued only 2 walks over the final 4 innings.