Drillers Drop 6th Straight in 11-4 Loss
After dropping five games in a row to the NW Arkansas Naturals at home to finish off their longest homestand of the season, the Tulsa Drillers traveled to Springfield hoping that a change of venue would change their fortunes. But although they took an early lead, the Drillers would watch
After dropping five games in a row to the NW Arkansas Naturals at home to finish off their longest homestand of the season, the Tulsa Drillers traveled to Springfield hoping that a change of venue would change their fortunes. But although they took an early lead, the Drillers would watch the Springfield Cardinals roar back as they would eventually defeat the Drillers by a score of 11-4 Sunday afternoon at Hammons Field.
The loss was the sixth straight for the Drillers which ties for their longest losing streak of the season. Jose Miguel Fernandez was one of the few bright spots for the Drillers Sunday as he went 2-4 to raise his season batting average to a league-leading .338 mark. But the Drillers lineup needed more than Fernandez to help it get rolling as they entered the game having scored just a single run over their last 2 innings.
Looking to jumpstart the struggling Tulsa offense,
Springfield would score first in the home half of the first as
The Drillers would bounce back to take an early lead though, as they scored three runs in the second.
That lead would last until the fourth before the Cardinals would pull ahead for good.
Springfield would proceed to add to their lead in the fifth as Anthony Garcia hit a three-run home run over the left field fence off Tulsa starter
But that would be as close as the Drillers would get as the Cardinals would go on to put the game out of reach. The Redbirds scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth off reliever
Cardinals reliever
Pearce picked up his third victory against the Drillers this year as he improved his season record to 6-5 with the victory for Springfield. Rearick took the loss for Tulsa in his first professional start since 2015.
Tulsa and Springfield will continue their four-game series Monday night in a game that will also mark the Texas League's first-half finale. The Drillers had originally planned on starting Anderson before he pitched in relief Sunday, so they have yet to announce a starter. Springfield is scheduled to send out LHP