Stellar Pitching Helps Drillers Edge Frisco 2-1
The Tulsa Drillers broke a tie game with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning and defeated the Frisco RoughRiders 2-1 Thursday night in Texas Collegiate League action at ONEOK Field. Pitching dominated the well-played contest with Tulsa claiming the victory despite producing only four hits. The game,
The Tulsa Drillers broke a tie game with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning and defeated the Frisco RoughRiders 2-1 Thursday night in Texas Collegiate League action at ONEOK Field. Pitching dominated the well-played contest with Tulsa claiming the victory despite producing only four hits. The game, which took only 2:23 to complete, featured only nine combined hits between the two teams and all were singles.
Frisco used a two-out rally in the top of the first to open the scoring. After retiring the first two batters, Tulsa starting pitcher Garrett Crowley hit OSU’s Blake Robertson with a pitch. After a wild pitch, Dan Pruitt plated Robertson with a base hit to left.
Tulsa tied the game in the fourth. With one out, Nathan Hickey walked and Alec Sanchez singled. Following another walk that loaded the bases, a sacrifice fly from Max Hewitt brought Hickey home to tie the game at 1-1.
The Drillers generated what proved to be the winning when OSU’s Hueston Morrill pinch hit to lead off the seventh and drew a walk. After Morrill stole second, Cam Chick dropped a single that fell just in front of a diving Ramsey Amador in left field, putting runners at the corners. USC’s Ben Ramirez grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, but Morrill came home to put the Drillers in front.
Vian, Oklahoma’s Javier Ramos made sure the lead held. The University of Oklahoma pitcher retired six of the final seven batters, pitching around a two-out single in the ninth, to close out the victory and pick up the win.
The result improved the Drillers TCL record to 2-1.
TULSA HITTERS: The four hits for the Drillers were a season low.
Chick accounted for half of them, finishing 2-4. The University of Nebraska infielder is now hitting .571 on the season.
The three-game series with Frisco finished without a home run from either team. Tulsa designated hitter Hickey came close to hitting the first one, flying out to the right field fence in the first inning.
Sanchez and Aidan Nagle picked up the other two hits for the Drillers.
TULSA PITCHERS: Fordham’s Garrett Crowley made his first start of the season and pitched effectively. The lefthander worked the first three innings, allowing one run on three hits. He walked only batter and struck out five.
Shane Mejia, a lefthander from Nicholls State, was even more impressive. Mejia did not allow a hit or issue a walk in three shutout innings. The only baserunner against Mejia came on an error.
Ramos needed only 43 pitches to get through the final three frames. He allowed two hits and did not walk a batter while striking out two.
One night after walking eight batters, Tulsa pitchers issued only one pass.
A Sooner and Cowboy have now accounted for both of the Drillers wins. OSU pitcher Bryce Osmond collected the win on opening night.
UP NEXT: Tulsa will now embark on its first road trip of the TCL season. The Drillers will travel to Texarkana, Texas to open a three-game series with the Twins on Friday night. First pitch in Texarkana is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The game can be viewed online with a subscription to TCL-TV.
The starting pitchers for the Drillers are scheduled to be:
Tulsa – RHP Kale Davis (OSU), followed by RHP Riley Boyd (Western Kentucky) and RHP Alejandro Torres (Florida International).