Bullpen Strong in Drillers Victory Over Travs

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - A big offensive outburst propelled the Tulsa Drillers to a 8-2 victory over the Arkansas Travelers on Friday night in Little Rock. A three-run homer by Zach McKinstry capped a six-run seventh inning for Tulsa. The Drillers bullpen was very strong, combining for 4.1 scoreless innings.
GAME REPORT:
J.D. Martin got the start on the mound for Tulsa, and ran into trouble right out of the gate. In the top of the first, he gave up a single, walked three batters, allowed three stolen bases and uncorked a wild pitch. As a result, Arkansas took a quick 2-0 lead.
Martin found his groove over next three innings. He walked a batter but faced the minimum nine hitters. In the top of the third, Drillers catcher Steve Berman threw out Jake Fraley at third in an attempt to steal.
The Drillers cut the deficit in half in the top of the fourth when Cristian Santana deposited a single to center, allowing Berman to score from third.
An inning later, Tulsa knotted things up at 2-2. After three walks loaded the bases, Berman knocked in his first Double-A RBI with a sacrifice fly.
Tulsa hung a crooked number in the top of the seventh. With the bases loaded, Cody Thomas knocked a run in with a sacrifice fly, and Logan Landon followed with a run scoring single. Zach McKinstry then launched his first home run of the season, a three-run shot to right, bringing the Drillers lead to 7-2. They made the lead 8-2 on a Lux RBI single.
Michael Boyle and Shae Spitzbarth combined for 4.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen with nine strikeouts.
HOT AT THE PLATE:
Omar Estevez has now hit safely in all eight games he has played in this season. He is leading the team with a .417 batting average and has seven RBI.
Lux has hit safely in all seven games to begin 2019. He has a home run and six RBI to go along with his impressive .424 batting average.
With two more hits on Friday, Landon brought his average up to .474 on the season. He has appeared in seven games this season (five starts) and is 9-19 with three RBI.
McKinstry has a very healthy seven-game hitting going. He is hitting .455 on the season with two doubles, two triples and a home run to go along with a team leading eight RBI.
Jared Walker hit a double to extend his hitting streak to four games. He is batting .391 in eight games.
OTHER NOTES:
The Travelers played Friday's game as Los Diamantes de Arkansas as apart of MiLB's Copa de la Diversion. The Drillers will play as Los Petroleros de Tulsa on May 5 and August 1-2.
Martin's final line was 4.2 innings, two hits, two earned runs, five strikeouts and six walks.
Berman was tasked with catching the knuckleballer Martin in his Drillers debut. It did not seem to phase him, as he was 1-3 with an RBI and did not allow any passed balls.
* The win brings Tulsa within two games of the North Division leading Travelers.
UP NEXT: Tulsa at Arkansas, Saturday, April 13, 6:10 PM at Dickey Stephens Park in North Little Rock, AR. RHP Mitchell White (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Darren McCaughan (0-0, 0.00 ERA)