Drillers Dropped in Doubleheader by Travs

Following a road trip that saw Tulsa score 53 runs over an 8-game stretch where they went 6-2, it seemed like things were starting to click for the Drillers. But after a rainout Friday postponed the series opener, the Drillers and Arkansas Travelers played a pair of seven inning games on Saturday. And it was the Travs who would triumph in a doubleheader sweep as they edged the Drillers 6-5 in the opening game before coming from behind in the nightcap to drop the Drillers 6-3 before a sellout crowd of 8,021 at ONEOK Field.
Game 1
The scoring got started early and often in the opening game of the doubleheader as the Travs claimed the early advantage. Ian Miller led off the day with a single and stole second before eventually coming around to score on a two-out base hit by Kyle Waldrop.
Tim Locastro mimicked Miller in the home half of the first inning as he singled to lead off the inning before swiping second as well. He would then come home to score on a one-out RBI single by Kyle Farmer to knot the score at 1-1.
Former Driller Joey Wong gave the Travs the lead right back in the top of the second. Wong singled to start the frame and was then brought home on a two-out RBI double by Nelson Ward to put the visitors back in front 2-1.
The back-and-forth action continued in the bottom half of the second as the Drillers pulled ahead briefly on a double from Johan Mieses followed by a two-run homer by Michael Ahmed to go up 3-2. The blast from Ahmed was his fourth homer of the year.
But the Drillers lead would be short-lived as Kyle Waldrop launched a two-run home run of his own off Tulsa starter Ivan Vieitez in the third, putting the Travs back on top 4-3. After Vieitez walked the next batter, Edward Paredes was brought in out of the bullpen in relief and was able to end the inning without any further damage.
Kyle Garlick kept the homer barrage going in the fourth inning as he launched an absolute shot that bounced off the concourse behind the left-centerfield berm. The solo blast was Garlick's Texas League-leading tenth home run of the season and tied the game up at 4-4.
But yet again, the score did not remain tied for long though as the Travs pulled ahead in the fifth. Tulsa reliever Shea Spitzbarth came into the game with two on and two outs and walked in a run with consecutive walks.
The Travs and Drillers traded runs in the sixth, but the Drillers were unable to overcome the deficit as they fell 6-5 in the opening game.
Arkansas starter Brett Ash saw his record improve to 3-2 with the win while Paredes had his record dropped to 0-2 with the loss. Peter Tago earned his second save of the year with two scoreless innings of relief for the Travs.

The sellout crowd at ONEOK Field enjoyed cheering on their section usher during one of the in-between inning games on the field Saturday night. (Naeem Thomas)
Game 2
After the offensive fireworks in Game 1, the nightcap started quietly as Andrew Sopko and Austin Kubitza traded zeroes on the mound over the first two frames. But the Drillers broke through against Kubitza in the third.
Jose Miguel Fernandez led off the third with a double before coming home to score two batters later on a RBI triple by Locastro. Three pitches later, Locastro dashed home on a wild pitch from Kubitza to put Tulsa on top 2-0.
Fernandez got in the middle of the scoring again in the very next inning as he singled home Edwin Ríos from third to extend the Drillers advantage to 3-0.
That lead appeared to be safe as Sopko hurled five shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out five Arkansas batters before handing the ball to lefty reliever Michael Johnson.
Johnson entered the game with a solid 2.70 ERA while limiting opponents to a .171 batting average. But this would not be his night.
After striking out Miller to start the inning, Johnson gave up a double to Gianfranco Wawoe. That was followed by Chuck Taylor reaching on a throwing error by Locastro and Waldrop being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Tyler Marlette then struck the big blow as the Arkansas designated hitter launched a grand slam over the right field fence to put the visitors on top 4-3.
But the inning was not over yet as Marcus Littlewood and Wong followed with solo home runs of their own. The back-to-back-to-back home runs stunned the Drillers as the Travs went from being down 3-0 to leading 6-3 by the time the inning came to a close.
Although Corey Copping came into the game after the trio of home runs to keep Tulsa within striking distance, the Drillers were unable to mount any kind of comeback over the final two innings. The result was a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Travs.
Johnson took his first loss of the season thanks to the ill-fated sixth while Arkansas reliever Darin Gillies earned the win. Thyago Vieira picked up his second save of the year with a scoreless final inning of work.
Game 2 Box Score
The Drillers and Travs will continue their four-game series on Sunday. RHP Josh Sborz (1-2, 5.00 ERA) will look to get Tulsa back on the winning track while Arkansas will send out RHP Lindsey Caughel (2-4, 4.24 ERA) to oppose him. First pitch from ONEOK Field is scheduled for 1:05 PM.