Crazy Ninth Inning Sends Drillers to 6-5 Loss

The Tulsa Drillers endured an emotional roller coaster in the ninth inning of Monday's series opener with <st1:state w:st="on">Arkansas in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">North Little Rock. Trailing by two runs entering the final inning, the Drillers got their biggest hit of the season. Down to their final out, catcher Keibert Ruiz delivered a three-run homer to put <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa temporarily in front 5-4.
The euphoria was short-lived as the Drillers were out of available pitchers, and infielder Michael Ahmed was forced to try to close out the victory. It was not to be. The bottom of the ninth began with a two-base throwing error and ended with a two-out, bases-loaded walk, giving the Travelers a 6-5 win.
The result leaves the two teams with identical 9-7 records and in a first-place tie atop the Northern Division standings of the Texas League.
With <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arkansas leading 4-2, the dramatic ninth began when Kyle Garlick doubled with one out in the top half of the inning. After Yusniel Díaz drew a walk, Conner Joe struck out for the second out, bringing Ruiz to the plate. The 19-year-old catcher drove a pitch over the right field wall to put the Drillers in front 5-4.
The bottom of the ninth quickly went downhill for <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa as leadoff batter Joe DeCarlo reached safely on a two-base throwing error by the newly inserted Errol Robinson. After a ground out, Beau Amaral doubled home DeCarlo to tie the game. Ahmed issued consecutive walks to load the bases before getting a pop out to get within one out of escaping the jam. The final out would not come as Chris Mariscal worked the fourth walk of the inning to force home the deciding run and give the Travs the victory.
The game had begun with one of the best pitching matchups of the young season. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Tulsa sent Dennis Santana to the mound for his fourth start, while the Travelers countered with former Drillers hurler and 2016 Texas League Pitcher of the Year Chase De Jong.
Santana worked through four innings with his 60 pitches and did not allow a hit while walking two and striking out three. The only damage against Santana came via an unearned run in the third.
De Jong turned in his third straight strong start for the Travs. He pitched a season high seven innings, surrendering just three hits and two runs. De Jong walked three batters and struck out six.
One of the runs against De Jong came early. Luke Raley got the Drillers off to a quick start when led off the game with his second homer of the season.
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa doubled its lead in the third when Ahmed drew a leadoff walk from De Jong. He advanced to third on a base hit by Raley before scoring on a sacrifice fly from D.J. Peters.
Trailing 2-1, the Travelers wasted no time in taking advantage of Santana's departure. In the bottom of the fifth, Amaral greeted reliever Karch Kowalczyk with a base hit. Amaral swiped second base and moved to third on a base hit by Seattle Mariners first baseman Ryan Healy, who is with the Travs on an injury-rehabilitation assignment. Another hit by Dario Pizzano plated Amaral to tie the game.
The Travelers took their first lead in the bottom of the eighth when the inning opened with consecutive singles from Yonathan Mendoza and Amaral off <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa lefthander Brian Moran. Law made it three straight hits when he dropped a single into shallow right field, plating <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mendoza with the go-ahead run. Another base hit by Pizzano scored Amaral to make it 4-2.
WHAT YOU MISSED
Thanks to Raley's game-opening homer and the late blast from Ruiz, the Drillers have now hit at least one home run in 13 of the 16 games they have played this season.
Lefthander Michael Johnson turned in an outstanding performance from the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Tulsa bullpen. Johnson entered the game in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and just one out, but enticed a fielder's choice ground out at the plate and a fly out to escape the threat and keep the score tied at 2-2. Johnson eventually used 40 pitches to get through 2.1 shutout innings.
With Ahmed getting tagged with the loss, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa relievers have now gotten the decision in 13 of the 16 games this season. A Drillers starter has collected only one win, and it occurred in the third game of the year when Justin De Fratus pitched six innings in a 5-0 win over Frisco.
 
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa pitchers issued a total of nine walks in the loss and hit four batters with pitches.
WHAT'S UP NEXT
The two teams will be back in action quickly, with game two of their four-game series scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Tuesday morning at <st1:placename w:st="on">Dickey-Stephens <st1:placetype w:st="on">Park in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">North Little Rock. The pitching matchup will feature:
Tulsa    LHP Caleb Ferguson (0-0, 0.87 ERA)
<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ark      LHP Anthony Misiewicz (0-1, 3.60 ERA)