Drillers Close Series with Fifth Consecutive Win
Springfield, MO- The Tulsa Drillers won only 5 of their 18 matchups against the Springfield Cardinals during the 2025 season, but the early meetings in 2026 have been a different story. On Sunday afternoon, Tulsa won its fifth straight game against the Cardinals with a 7-2 victory at Hammons Field.
Springfield, MO- The Tulsa Drillers won only 5 of their 18 matchups against the Springfield Cardinals during the 2025 season, but the early meetings in 2026 have been a different story. On Sunday afternoon, Tulsa won its fifth straight game against the Cardinals with a 7-2 victory at Hammons Field.
The win was again fueled by a strong offensive performance, highlighted by Zyhir Hope’s grand slam. It backed up a solid start on the mound from Payton Martin.
The Drillers end their first road series of the year with a 5-1 record and a 7-2 overall mark, good for sole possession of first place in the Texas League’s North Division standings.
The Drillers scored first in the first five games of the six-game series, and that trend continued on the overcast Sunday afternoon. In the third inning, Tulsa did not need a hit to plate its first run using a walk, a wild pitch, a force out and a passed ball to score Yeiner Fernandez. Kyle Nevin followed with a double, and Chris Newell grounded out, to produce two more runs to give the Drillers a 3-0 lead.
One inning later, Hope upped Tulsa’s lead to 7-0 with his grand slam.
Martin made his second start of the series and bounced back from a tough outing in Tuesday’s series opener. He worked four scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out three, lowering his ERA from 40.50 to 10.13.
The Redbirds ended the Drillers shutout bid in the sixth inning when Chase Davis hit a two-run homer.
Springfield did not score again as relievers Cam Day and Carson Hobbs combined to hold the Cardinals scoreless over the final 1.2 innings.
GAME NOTES
*Hope’s fourth-inning slam was his second homer in as many games and gave him eighth RBI in the series. The big hit also increased his hitting streak to eight games, with at least one hit in every game he has played in this season. The streak is also the longest by a Drillers player this year.
*Martin’s strong start marked the third straight game in which a Tulsa starting pitcher did not allow a run. The impressive stretch spans 15.1 innings, with 19 combined strikeouts.
*Roque Gutierrez was credited with the win since Martin did not pitch the required five innings. The win was his first of 2026 and the third in his 17 career games with the Drillers.
*The Drillers had a big offensive week, finishing with 44 runs scored over the six-game series to lead the Texas League.
*George stole his sixth base on Sunday to take sole possession of the Texas League lead in steals.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will now return to ONEOK Field to begin a six-game series against the Arkansas Travelers. Tuesday’s series opener will be the first of six midweek, day games at ONEOK Field during the 2026 season and will begin at 12:00 p.m. The starting pitchers are expected to be:
ARK- RHP Michael Morales (0-1, 6.00 ERA)
TUL- TBA