Pages, Drillers Top Surge for Season-Opening Win

Last season, Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Andy Pages (pronounced PAW-hez) won High-A Central League Player of the Year honors after hitting 31 homers and collecting 88 RBI with the Great Lakes Loons. If Friday night’s 2022 Double-A opener is any indication, he might be in the conversation at the end of this season for the same award in the Texas League. Pages finished with two hits and three runs batted in to lead the Tulsa Drillers to a 5-4 victory at Wichita’s Riverfront Stadium.

BOXSCORE

The five runs were just enough offensive support for starting pitcher Gus Varland and four Tulsa relievers. Varland allowed just one hit in 4.1 shutout innings, striking out five Wichita batters. The outing was longer than any outing he had in 14 starts for the Drillers last season.

Tulsa wasted little time in plating its first run of the season. Leadoff batter James Outman singled to open the game, and Michael Busch drew a walk. Pages followed and doubled on the second Double-A pitch that he saw, plating Outman to give the Drillers a quick 1-0 lead.

Pages was also involved in the game’s second run as he drew a walk to open the top of the third. After Justin Yurchak drew another walk, Pages scored on Ryan Ward’s first Double-A hit to make it 2-0.

Tulsa padded its lead further in the sixth inning. After Jacob Amaya doubled, Outman and Busch drew two-out walks to load the bases. Pages came through again with a two-run single that upped Tulsa’s lead to four runs. A single by Yurchak plated Busch and put the Drillers in front 5-0.

The five runs were just enough as Tulsa had to survive a late rally from the Wind Surge.

The shutout bid ended in the seventh inning when Tulsa reliever Nick Robertson gave up a pair of walks in front of a two-out, RBI single from Alex Isola.

Things got interesting in the bottom of the eighth as control issues again hurt Drillers pitchers. Guillermo Zuniga walked two more batters to set the stage for a three-run homer from Cole Sturgeon that cut Tulsa’s lead to just 5-4. The veteran Sturgeon, who has spent most of his career in the Boston Red Sox system, hit an opposite-field line drive off the left field foul pole for the home run.

Aaron Ochsenbein ended Wichita’s hopes of an opening night rally, striking out the side on only 12 pitches in the bottom of the ninth inning to close out the victory for the Drillers.

HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:

*Pages added to his offensive totals by also drawing a pair of walks, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances.

*Wichita was held without a hit until Spencer Speer singled with one out in the bottom of the fourth. The Wind Surge were limited to just four total hits in the game. Tulsa pitchers did issue eight walks in the game, including four by the starter Varland.

*A rare occurrence took place in the game. Louie Varland came out of the Wichita bullpen in the third inning to pitch against his brother Gus. The two pitchers squared off until Gus departed the game for the Drillers with one out in the top of the fifth inning.

*Amaya, hitting in the eighth spot, matched Pages with two hits in the game and nearly had a third when he lined out in the ninth inning.

*The two pitching staffs combined to issue 17 total walks in the game.

*Tulsa pitchers combined to strike out 13 Wichita batters.

*The game began 10 minutes late, at 7:15 p.m. Temperature at game time was 56 degrees with a 15 m.p.h. wind blowing from left field to right, making it feel much cooler.

*The victory gave the Drillers an early lead in the Coors Light Propeller Series between the two rivals. Last year, the season series ended in a 15-15 tie, but Wichita won the Propeller Trophy by winning the final meeting of the year.

UP NEXT:

The Drillers will play the second game of their three-game, season-opening series in Wichita Saturday night. The pitching matchup will feature Tulsa RHP Clayton Beeter against Wind Surge RHP Woods Richardson. First pitch at Riverfront Stadium is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.