Drillers Edge Twins in Texarkana
Texarkana, TX- The Tulsa Drillers began their first road trip of the season successfully on Friday night, holding off the Texarkana Twins for a 3-2 victory. The Drillers scored three runs over the first two innings, and a combination of five different pitchers took over from there. OSU’s Kale Davis
Texarkana, TX- The Tulsa Drillers began their first road trip of the season successfully on Friday night, holding off the Texarkana Twins for a 3-2 victory. The Drillers scored three runs over the first two innings, and a combination of five different pitchers took over from there. OSU’s Kale Davis started and worked the first two innings to get the win, and ORU’s Adam Scoggins recorded the final two outs to close it out and pick up his first save of the season.
The Drillers offense appeared headed to its biggest game of the season with a quick start. The University of Nebraska’s Cameron Chick put Tulsa on the board early, driving the game’s first pitch over the fence for a leadoff home run. It was the first homer of the season for the Drillers.
Tulsa added two more runs in the second. After Ben Ramirez drew a leadoff walk, Humberto Torres and Aidan Nagle both singled to load the bases for Jaden Brown. Brown lined another single into centerfield, plating both Ramirez and Torres to up the Drillers lead to 3-0.
The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the third when Ricardo Leonett led off with a double and scored on a base hit by Tyler Trovinger.
It would remain 3-1 until the bottom of the ninth. After a leadoff walk and a single put runners at the corners for the Twins, a sacrifice fly cut the Drillers lead to one. Scoggins was summoned from the bullpen by Tulsa manager Tom Holliday, and the lefthander ended the Twins’ hopes of a comeback by striking out the next two hitters to end the game.
After the early offensive production, the Drillers bats went silent. Brown’s run-scoring single in the second would prove to be their final hit of the night.
With the victory, the Drillers upped their season record to 3-1.
TULSA HITTERS: The Drillers were held to just four hits, matching a season low and dropping the team batting average to .186.
With his first-inning homer, Chick has now hit safely in all four games this season. The second baseman is hitting an even .500.
Chick, Brown and Ramirez are all tied for the team lead in RBI with two each.
Nebraska’s Colby Gomes started and first base for the Drillers. Gomes pitched three innings in relief in Wednesday’s game.
TULSA PITCHERS: It was the season debut for Davis. The right-hander did not allow a run in his two innings, but he did have to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the first. Overall, he allowed two hits and issued three walks.
Riley Boyd followed Davis to the mound, surrendering one run in three innings.
Tulsa relievers struck out the side in three straight innings from the sixth through the eighth. Zach Maxwell did it in the sixth, and Alejandro Torres did it in both the seventh and eighth innings.
Through the first four games of the season, Drillers pitchers now have 56 strikeouts in only 36 innings of work
UP NEXT: Tulsa will play game two of their three-game series in Texarkana on Saturday night. First pitch against the Twins is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The game can be viewed online with a subscription to TCL-TV.