Offense has Another Big Night in Shutout Victory

Wichita, KS – Since Tulsa snapped its season-high, five-game losing streak last Saturday, the Drillers offense has seemingly appeared unstoppable. The Drillers entered Wednesday’s game with a three-game win streak and leading the Texas League in three major offensive categories.

After earning a comeback win in the series opener, Tulsa quickly took the lead in the first inning and never looked back on the way to a 6-0 victory over the Wichita Wind Surge at Equity Bank Park. It increased the Drillers winning streak to four straight games.

The offense was supported by a strong night from the Drillers pitching staff as three pitchers combined to strike out 12 Wind Surge hitters to earn the club’s fourth shutout victory.

BOXSCORE

It did not take long for the Drillers to go in front in the opening inning. Kendall George began led off with a single, and Josue De Paula followed with a walk. Both base runners advanced by stealing a base, with George scoring on Zyhir Hope’s groundout. De Paula scored just three pitches later on a wild pitch to give Tulsa a 2-0 advantage.

After the first inning, the Drillers earned just one hit over the next four innings before scoring again in the sixth inning. The sixth began with a double from newcomer Mike Sirota, and Hope followed with a single that brought him home and raised Tulsa’s lead to 3-0.

In the seventh, the Drillers earned three hits with Jake Gelof and George scoring on Sirota’s double to increase the margin to five runs.

In the seventh, the Drillers earned three hits with Jake Gelof and George scoring on Sirota’s double to increase the margin to five runs.

The Drillers closed out the scoring in the ninth when two walks and a single loaded the bases before Elijah Hainline was hit by a pitch to force in a run.

Not to be overlooked was the outstanding night from Drillers pitching. Tulsa starter Wyatt Crowell delivered his longest outing of the season while keeping the Wind Surge scoreless over 5.2 innings. The Florida State product gave up just two hits and issued five walks with six strikeouts in his eighth game of the season.

Former University of Kansas pitcher Evan Shaw followed Crowell on the mound and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and no walks.

Kelvin Ramirez closed out the game by working a scoreless ninth inning with three strikeouts.

GAME NOTES

*During Tulsa’s four-game winning streak, the team is batting a combined .303 with seven home runs and 32 runs scored. All three lead the Texas League over the previous four games.

*In just his second game at the Double-A level, Sirota led the Drillers on Wednesday, getting three hits and driving in two runs.

*George’s first inning hit and run scored increased a couple of impressive streaks. The leadoff hit increased his hitting streak to eight games, and his scoring streak is now at 11 consecutive games. His run-scoring streak is the longest since 2018, when Luke Raley scored in 12 straight games.

*George also scored two more runs and stole two bases in the game. He continues to lead the league with 45 runs scored and in stolen bases with 22

*De Paula drew two walks but did not earn a hit, ending his seven-game hitting streak.

*Hope’s RBI marked his fourth straight game with a run driven in.

*Chris Newell got the start at first base on Wednesday. It was his first start at the position in his professional career. Newell had never started a game at an infield position.

UP NEXT

The Drillers will play game three of the six-game series against the Wind Surge on Thursday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Equity Bank Park and the starting pitchers are expected to be:

Tulsa – RHP Payton Martin (0-2, 6.23 ERA)
Wichita – RHP Jose Olivares (0-2, 8.03 ERA)