Drillers Pick Up Fourth Straight Win in Springfield
Springfield, MO- The Tulsa Drillers extended their winning streak to four straight games on Saturday night with a 4-2 victory over the Springfield Cardinals. The Drillers got a strong outing on the mound from starting pitcher Wyatt Crowell and big home run from Zyhir Hope to produce the win at
Springfield, MO- The Tulsa Drillers extended their winning streak to four straight games on Saturday night with a 4-2 victory over the Springfield Cardinals. The Drillers got a strong outing on the mound from starting pitcher Wyatt Crowell and big home run from Zyhir Hope to produce the win at Springfield’s Hammons Field. The win improved the Drillers season record to 6-2 and kept them in first place in the Texas League’s North Division standings.
The Drillers never trailed in the game, but the victory did not come easily.
Tulsa took an early lead with a run in the top of the second inning. With one out, Chris Newell singled and moved into scoring position with a steal of second base. With two outs, Yeiner Fernandez picked up his first hit of the season when he dropped a single into centerfield that plated Newell with the first run of the game.
Crowell worked as if the one run might be enough to claim the win for Tulsa. The lefthander allowed just three hits while blanking the Card through the first five innings.
It remained 1-0 until Zyhir Hope gave Crowell and the Drillers a bigger cushion in the top of the sixth inning. Josue De Paula opened the inning by drawing a leadoff walk, and Kyle Nevin followed with a base hit. With runners at first and second, Hope blasted an opposite-field drive that easily cleared the left field fence for a three-run homer. It was Hope’s first home run of the season and his first at the Double-A level, giving Tulsa a 4-0 lead.
Joel Ibarra took over for Crowell and worked a clean sixth inning, but the Cardinals ended the shutout bid and cut the lead in half with a pair runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Ibarra gave up a single and a walk to open the seventh. Nick Robertson took over for Ibarra and was greeted with a base hit from Jon Jon Gazdar that plated the Cards’ first run. Centerfielder Newell overran the grounder for an error that put runners at second and third.
A second run scored for the Redbirds on an infield ground out that trimmed the Drillers lead to 4-2, but Robertson got a strikeout and a ground out to end the threat and the inning.
Tulsa added a critical insurance run in the top of the ninth. With two outs, Yeiner Fernandez reached safely on an error by third baseman Noah Mendlinger. Sean McLain came through with his first hit of the year when he lined a double that landed at the base of the fence in left field. Fernandez raced home to score on a headfirst slide that upped the Drillers lead to 5-2.
In the bottom of the ninth, a walk and a double against Tulsa reliever Lucas Wepf put Cardinals runners at second and third with one out. Wepf survived the threat by getting a run-scoring ground out and a game-ending pop out. It gave Wepf his first save of the season.
GAME NOTES
*Crowell finished with seven strikeouts in his five innings of work. It marked his first start of the season. Crowell pitched three scoreless innings in the third game of the season and has now worked eight shutout innings to open the season.
*After opening the series with the Cards with a loss, the Drillers had lost eight straight games at Hammons Field over the last two seasons. They now have a four-game winning streak at the home of the Cardinals.
*The Drillers have clinched a series win on the road in their first road series of the season. They recorded only three road series wins all of last season.
*Elijah Hainline finished hitless in three official at-bats, ending his seven-game hitting streak. Hainline made a bid for an infield single in the eighth inning but was called out on a close play at first base.
*Hope’s sixth-inning home run allowed him to match Hainline with a seven-game hitting streak. The outfielder did not play in Wednesday’s game against the Cards and has one hit in every game he has played in this season.
*Tulsa was limited to seven hits in the game and had just three of them came after the third inning.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will conclude their first road trip of the season and their series with the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at Hammons Field. First pitch for the finale is set for 1:15 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
TUL – RHP Payton Martin (0-1, 40.50 ERA)
SPR – RHP Brandt Thompson (1-0, 2.70 ERA)