Drillers 3-Run First Inning Not Enough in 15-5 Loss
SPRINGFIELD, MO – Saturday night’s game in Springfield began positively for the Tulsa Drillers, as they took an early lead with three runs in the top of the first inning, but things quickly went downhill from there. The Springfield Cardinals responded with four runs of their own in the bottom
SPRINGFIELD, MO – Saturday night’s game in Springfield began positively for the Tulsa Drillers, as they took an early lead with three runs in the top of the first inning, but things quickly went downhill from there. The Springfield Cardinals responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the first. It was one of three, four-run innings for the Redbirds over the first four frames. The end result was a 15-5 loss for the Drillers at Hammons Field.
Tulsa’s three-run first inning featured a two-run single from Justin Yurchak and a run-scoring single from Devin Mann.
It was a tough night for Tulsa starting pitcher Landon Knack who was making his first appearance after coming off the injured list. Knack opened the game with a strikeout, but a base hit and two walks followed to loaded the bases. Chandler Redmond quickly unloaded them when he hit the first pitch he saw over the right-center field fence for a grand slam home run that gave the Cards a 4-3 lead and ended Knack’s night.
Springfield added four more runs in the second and four more in the fourth, while Mann’s run-scoring double in the top of the third gave Tulsa its fourth run.
Springfield finished with 14 hits in the game and took advantage of 9 walks from Drillers pitchers.
The Drillers fifth and final run of the night came in the top of the ninth inning on Ryan Ward’s 22nd home run of the season. Ward’s 22 homers lead all active players in the Texas League. As a team, Tulsa has now homered in eight straight games.
The 1/3 of an inning for Knack was the shortest outing of his career and marked just the second time in his professional career that he has failed to get out of the first inning.
The Drillers are now 4-7 on their 2-week, 12-game road trip. They are 1-4 in their 6-game series with the Cardinals ahead of the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:
*With Knack’s early departure, four Tulsa relievers were asked to work 7.2 innings in the game. It marked the second time in the series that a Drillers starter has not made it through the first inning. The bullpen has now had to work a total 33.0 of the 41.0 innings in the first five games of the series in Springfield.
*Knack took the place of Bobby Miller as the Tulsa starter. Miller was the starting pitcher for the National League on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium in the 2022 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. The right-hander worked the first inning and gave up one hit, one walk and one run while striking out the side.
*The Cardinals stole four bases in the game, but the Drillers did retire an attempted base stealer, catching Chase Pinder in his attempt to take third base in the second inning. It was first caught stealing for the Tulsa defense in month of July. Opponents had been successful on 39 straight attempted steals to open the month. Overall, it was the first caught stealing since June 28 for Drillers catchers.
*Yurchak had two hits in the game and has now hit safely in 11 straight games. It is the second longest streak of the season for a Tulsa batter, just one game shy of Andy Pages’ 12-game hitting streak.
*Jordan Leasure was charged with two runs in the game, but both were unearned. Leasure has allowed just one earned in his last 17 appearances.
*With Ward’s homer, the Drillers have now hit 123 home runs on the season, tied for fifth-most in all of Minor League Baseball.
UP NEXT: The Drillers will wrap up their two-week road trip with the series finale against the Rebirds on Sunday night. Starting time at Hammons Field is set for 6:05 p.m. The Drillers will have four days off after Sunday’s game as all of professional baseball will be off for Tuesday’s Major League All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
The starting pitchers for Sunday’s finale are slated to be:
Tulsa – RHP Kyle Hurt (0-1, 19.64 ERA)
Springfield – RHP Michael McGreevy (5-2, 3.67 ERA)
Drillers to Host Naturals and Cardinals in 9-Game Home Stand
The Tulsa Drillers will be back home at ONEOK Field for the first time in two weeks when they open their longest home stand of the second-half season on Friday, July 18. The stand will begin with a three-game series against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals) from July
Drillers Drop Series to Naturals with Tenth-Inning Loss
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers had only one lead in Sunday night’s matchup with Northwest Arkansas, but it came at the right time. The Tulsa Drillers suffered their second straight one-run loss to Northwest Arkansas on Sunday night at ONEOK Field, falling 5-4 to the Naturals. Northwest Arkansas scored
Drillers Fall One Run Short against Naturals
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers three-game winning streak came to end Saturday night with a tough 3-2 loss to Northwest Arkansas at ONEOK Field. The Drillers had a chance to extend the winning streak, loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Naturals turned a
Tulsa Wins in Return of the Noodlers
Tulsa, OK – The return of the Tulsa Noodlers was a rousing success Friday night at ONEOK Field. The Tulsa Drillers annual transformation into the Noodlers began with the first game of a three-game series with Northwest Arkansas, and it began with a victory. A combination of three home runs,
Bullpen Leads Tulsa to Sunday Win
North Little Rock, AR – The bullpen was the star for the Tulsa Drillers in their extra-innings win over the Arkansas Travelers on Sunday afternoon. After Peter Heubeck was scratched from his scheduled start, Tulsa used a total of six pitchers who combined to allow only three runs. The two
Held Without a Hit for 6 Innings, Driller Rally for 4-2 Win
North Little Rock, AR – For the second straight game, the Tulsa Drillers and the Arkansas Travelers played a tightly-contested, well-pitched game on Saturday at Dickey-Stephens Park. Unlike the previous night when the Travelers picked up a 2-1 win, the Drillers came out on top on Saturday for one of
Drillers Drop Second Straight to Arkansas
North Little Rock, AR – Pitching took center stage on Friday night at Dickey-Stephens Park. The Tulsa Drillers and Arkansas Travelers both received stellar outings from their starting pitchers and scoreless outings from their bullpen in the fourth game of their six-game series. Unfortunately for the Drillers, Arkansas was able
Drillers Announce Exciting 2nd Half Promotional Schedule
Summer is in full swing and the Tulsa Drillers remaining schedule is packed with several great promotional events at ONEOK Field. There are eight remaining post-game Fireworks Shows on the schedule, and fan favorite themes like Noodlers Weekend (July 18 – 20), OKC Thunder Night (September 12th), and Harry Potter
Drillers Let Lead Slip Away in Loss to Travelers
North Little Rock, AR – Thursday night against the Arkansas Travelers, the Tulsa Drillers were in position to accomplish something they had not done in four years, win two straight games at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park. The Drillers jumped to an early lead that eventually increased to four runs,
Pitching Leads Drillers Past Travelers
North Little Rock, AR – The Tulsa Drillers only scored three runs against the Arkansas Travelers on Wednesday night, but it was all the Drillers needed for the win. Tulsa’s pitching staff had a tremendous night, led by lefty Jackson Ferris, who pitched in his 16th game of the season
Travelers Run Past Drillers
North Little Rock, AR – The Tulsa Drillers struggles at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park continued Tuesday night with a 6-4 loss to the Arkansas Travelers in the first game of a six-game series between the two teams. With the defeat, the Drillers have lost seven of the eight games
Drillers Lose High-Scoring Series Finale
Wichita, KS – On opening night of the 2025 season, the Tulsa Drillers were unable to hold a nine-run lead in their first loss of season. On Sunday afternoon, the Drillers failed to hold a seven-run lead and a late three-run lead in a high-scoring series finale at Equity Bank
Drillers Claim Win with Ninth Inning Rally
Wichita, KS – The Tulsa Drillers claimed a dramatic victory over the Wichita Wind Surge on Saturday night at Equity Bank Park to snap a two-game losing streak. The Drillers entered the ninth inning trailing by a run before Chris Newell tied the game with an RBI double, and Yeiner
Wichita Delivers Offensive Fireworks to Beat Drillers
Wichita, KS – The Tulsa Drillers continued their series with the Wichita Wind Surge on Friday night at Wichita’s Equity Bank Park, and the Wind Surge fans were treated to a pair of fireworks shows, one after the game and one during the game. Wichita bats exploded for 14 runs
Tulsa Falls to Wichita in 10 Innings Before Sellout Crowd
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers and Wichita Wind Surge went back and forth for nine innings on Thursday night before things unraveled for the Drillers in the tenth. The Wind Surge broke a tie game with six runs in their half of the tenth on only two hits and
Drillers Get Walk-Off Win over Wind Surge
Tulsa, OK – A crowd of over 5,600 came out to ONEOK Field on Wednesday night for a special Independence Holiday Fireworks Show and a Propeller Series meeting between the Tulsa Drillers and Wichita Wind Surge. Before the post-game fireworks began, the big crowd was treated to a walk-off win
Drillers Open July with Propeller Series and Fireworks Celebrations
The Tulsa Drillers will open the month of July with three straight home games and three straight nights of Fireworks Spectaculars in celebration of the July 4th holiday. The Drillers will host the Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota Twins) in the three games that will run from Tuesday, July 1 through
Wichita Snaps Drillers Win Streak
Tulsa, OK – After a successful road trip in Frisco, Texas, the Tulsa Drillers returned to ONEOK Field with a four-game winning streak, which matched their longest of the season. Unfortunately for the Drillers, the streak was snapped by the Wichita Wind Surge on Tuesday night. The Drillers were held
Big Rally Gives Drillers Fourth Straight Win
Frisco, TX – The Tulsa Drillers capped their first series of the second half of the season with an exclamation point on Sunday night in Frisco. Carrying a three-game winning streak into the series finale with the RoughRiders, the Drillers matched their biggest comeback of the year with a six-run
Drillers Win Third Straight Against Frisco
Frisco, TX – A big first inning helped the Tulsa Drillers continue their hot stretch on Saturday night. Half of the Drillers six runs were scored in that first inning, and they set up another stellar night from the Tulsa pitching staff. The combination led to Tulsa defeating the Frisco
Big Offensive Night Leads Drillers to Second Straight Win
Frisco, TX – During the month of June, the Tulsa Drillers have struggled offensively and have been near the bottom of the Texas League in multiple stat categories. On Friday, the Drillers broke out of their slump in a big way by earning 14 hits in an 11-0 shutout victory
Simmons’ Slam Gives Drillers First Win of Second Half
Tulsa, OK – When a team is struggling to score runs like the Tulsa Drillers have been, a home run can be a welcome sight. On Thursday night in Frisco, Kendall Simmons did just that. Simmons came through with a grand slam home run in the third inning that turned
Drillers Can’t Overcome 3-Run First Inning
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers continued their road series in Frisco, Texas Wednesday night, and they continued to struggle to generate much in the way of offense. For the second straight game, the Drillers scored just one run, wasting an impressive night from the Tulsa bullpen in a 3-1
Drillers Open Second Half with Loss to RoughRiders
Frisco, TX – The Tulsa Drillers made a quick turnaround to begin the second half of the Texas League season with a 12:05 p.m. start in Frisco Tuesday afternoon in a game that was nationally televised on MLB Network. Unfortunately for Tulsa, the first game did not go as planned
Drillers Fall in First-Half Finale
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers concluded the first half of the Texas League season Sunday afternoon at ONEOK Field with the final game of a six-game series with Midland, and it was a tightly contested pitcher’s duel. The finale was scoreless through the first five innings, but an error