Drillers Win in Extra Innings, Move Closer to First-Half Title
Springdale, AR – The Tulsa Drillers did not generate a lot of offense in nine innings of Tuesday’s series opener in Northwest Arkansas, producing three runs on five hits. In extra innings, they doubled their output with three runs in the top of the tenth and held the lead in
Springdale, AR – The Tulsa Drillers did not generate a lot of offense in nine innings of Tuesday’s series opener in Northwest Arkansas, producing three runs on five hits. In extra innings, they doubled their output with three runs in the top of the tenth and held the lead in the bottom of the inning to post an important 6-5 win over the Naturals at Arvest Ballpark.
The extra-innings victory, combined with a loss from Arkansas at Frisco on Tuesday afternoon, increased the Drillers first-place lead in the Texas League’s North Division standings to 3½ games over the Travelers.
Tulsa has five games remaining in the first half, while Arkansas has six games left in the half, including a doubleheader on Wednesday in Frisco.
The Drillers now hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Travelers and thus have a magic number of just two to clinch the division title. Any combination of Tulsa wins and Arkansas losses totaling two will give the Drillers the first-half crown and guarantee their spot in the Texas League playoffs in September.
For the 23rd time this season, the Drillers had to come from behind to post the win as the Naturals took an early lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff batter Carson Roccaforte opened the inning with a base hit and eventually came home with the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly from Sam Kulasingam.
It marked the fifth straight game that the Drillers have given up the first run of the game, but they have won four of them.
It remained a 1-0 game until the top of the fifth. With one out, Kyle Nevin doubled. After a strikeout, catcher Frank Rodriguez hit his fourth home run of the season to put the Drillers temporarily in front 2-1.
The lead was short lived as the Naturals answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the fifth to go back in front. With two outs and the bases empty, three straight singles tied the game. With runners at the corners, Roccaforte was caught in a rundown between first and second, but the runner at third, Canyon Brown, raced across the plate before Roccaforte was tagged out to end the inning with the Naturals holding a 3-2 lead.
Tulsa’s second long ball of the game tied the score in the seventh. With one out, Jake Gelof hit his 13th homer of the season to tie the game at 3-3. It was Gelof’s seventh home run in his past ten games.
The game would remained tied through nine innings, sending it to extras.
With placed runner Chris Newell at second base to open the top of the tenth, Rodriguez grounded out to start the inning. On the next pitch, Kole Myers lined a base hit into left field to plate Newell and put the Drillers back in front.
Sean McLain followed with another hit before Josue De Paula flied out to right. That brought Mike Sirota to the plate. Sirota, who had reached base in 52 straight games, was 0-4 night. With a chance to extend the streak, Sirota jumped on the first pitch and lined a double into left-center field.
The clutch, two-out hit not only allowed Sirota to extend his streak, but both Myers and McLain scored on the double to give the Drillers two insurance runs and a 6-3 lead.
The insurance proved to be critical. In the bottom of the tenth, Nick Robertson, who had worked a scoreless ninth inning, retired the leadoff batter, but Connor Scott followed with a two-run homer over the centerfield fence that suddenly trimmed the Drillers lead to just one run.
Robertson, who had given up just one run in 18 previous games this season, recovered and got a ground out and a three-pitch strikeout to end the game and wrap up the victory.
GAME NOTES
*With tenth-inning double, Sirota has now reached base in all 24 games he has played with the Drillers. Combined with a 30-game, on-base streak he had with High-A Great Lakes before his promotion to Tulsa, Sirota has now reached base safely in 54 straight games, the longest on-base streak in all of Minor League Baseball this season.
*Gelof extended his own streak with his seventh-inning home run. He has now reached base in 27 straight games. It is the longest on-base streak this season for a Tulsa batter and is just one game short of matching the longest on-base streak in the Texas League this season.
*Nevin continued his recent hot streak, finishing with three hits to extend his hitting streak to nine straight games. He is hitting .405 in the nine-game streak.
*Tulsa starting pitcher Payton Martin turned in his third straight quality start. Martin worked 6 1/3 innings and allowed three runs, only two earned, on seven hits. In his three-game stretch, he is 2-0 with a 3.44 ERA.
*Robertson was credited with the win, improving his record to a perfect 6-0. The six wins places him in a tie for the most victories in the Texas League this season. Despite surrendering the two-run homer, Robertson has given up just three runs on the year and has a 0.64 ERA.
*Myers has now hit safely in all five games that he has played with the Drillers since his return from Great Lakes. Myers has hit safely in all five games that he has played with Tulsa since coming back from the Loons, compiling a .389 batting average.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will play the second game of their six-game series against the Naturals on Wednesday night at Arvest Ballpark. Starting time is again scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers will be:
Tulsa – RHP Patrick Copen (3-3, 5.79 ERA)
NW Arkansas – RHP Felix Arronde (2-2, 6.06 ERA)