Cards Deal 16-9 Loss to Drillers
SPRINGFIELD, MO – The Tulsa Drillers suffered their fourth straight loss Friday night at Springfield’s Hammons Field, but it was much different than the first three. After suffering two walk-off losses and three defeats by a total of five runs, Friday’s result was a 16-9 loss to the Cardinals. Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, MO – The Tulsa Drillers suffered their fourth straight loss Friday night at Springfield’s Hammons Field, but it was much different than the first three. After suffering two walk-off losses and three defeats by a total of five runs, Friday’s result was a 16-9 loss to the Cardinals. Springfield scored 12 runs in the first three innings and cruised to the victory.
The night began positively for the Drillers, as they took an initial lead with a run in the top of the first inning thanks to Carlos Rincon’s 11th home run of the season.
The Drillers did not stay in front long because the Cardinals responded with four runs in the bottom of the first off Tulsa starting pitcher Michael Grove to take a lead they never relinquished. The first three batters for the Redbirds reached safely on a base hit, a walk and a hit batter, setting the table for Ivan Herrera. The Cards cleanup hitter came through, belting a grand slam homer to promptly erase Tulsa’s lead.
In the second inning, Brendan Donovan doubled home a run, and Alec Burleson singled in another to up Springfield’s lead to 6-1.
The Drillers fought back with two runs in the top of the third inning. Stevie Berman and Jacob Amaya opened the inning with consecutive doubles to plate one run. A sacrifice fly from Rincon brought home Amaya with a sacrifice fly.
The Cardinals basically put the game away with a six-run bottom of the third. The damage came against Tulsa reliever Edward Cuello. The inning began with four straight hits, followed by an error from Cuello. A run-scoring hit from Donovan plated the third run of the frame and resulted in Andrew Schwaab being summoned from the Tulsa bullpen. A sacrifice fly from Herrera, and two-run single from Nick Plummer capped the big inning. Plummer hit three homers in Thursday’s victory for the Cardinals.
The two teams traded runs in the fifth inning on a pair of home runs. Donovan Casey hit a solo shot for the Drillers, and Alec Burleson did the same for the Redbirds, making the score 13-4.
The Drillers used more longballs to make things interesting in the seventh. Amaya and Casey opened the inning with back-to-back homers to trim the deficit to seven. After a walk to Miguel Vargas, Michael Busch deposited a pitch onto the grass berm well beyond the centerfield fence to pull Tulsa to within 13-8.
If Tulsa had any hopes of a comeback, they were erased in the bottom half of the seventh when a pair of Drillers errors led to three unearned runs for the Cardinals that extended the lead back to eight runs.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
*Starting time for Saturday’s game at Hammons Field has been moved up to 1:30 p.m. because of severe weather that is predicted for the Springfield area on Saturday evening.
*Casey and Amaya were two bright spots in the game for the Drillers. For the second time this season, Casey hit two homers in a game. It is the fifth time this season that a Tulsa batter has accomplished the feat.
Amaya had three hits in the game, a single, a double and a homer. He finished 3-4 with 2 runs batted in.
*The 16 runs and 14 hits for the Cards were season highs for a Drillers opponent this year. The last time an opponent scored more runs was June 21, 2018 when Northwest Arkansas beat Tulsa 17-3 at ONEOK Field.
*Defensively, the Drillers committed a season high three errors.
*Grove did not make it through the first inning, retiring just two batters before reaching his pitch limit, and suffered the loss to drop his record to 0-4.
*Tulsa’s bullpen struggles continued. Relievers were charged with 8 earned runs but 12 in total. In the four games this series with the Cardinals, Drillers relievers have pitched 24.1 innings, giving up a combined 35 hits, including 9 home runs, and 26 earned runs. The pen’s collective ERA in the series is 9.62.
*Tulsa pitchers have issued a total of 17 walks in the last two games.
*Springfield starting pitcher Kevin McGovern was credited with the win, his first-ever in affiliated, professional baseball. The 32-year-old McGovern has spent ten years pitching in the independent leagues.
UP NEXT
Tulsa at Springfield on Saturday, July 10 at 1:30 PM at Hammons Field. The pitching matchup will be Tulsa RHP Ryan Pepiot (3-2, 1.73 ERA) versus Springfield LHP Tyler Pyke (1-2, 5.97 ERA).