Drillers Fail to Hold Lead in Finale Loss to Amarillo

TULSA – The first seven innings of Sunday afternoon’s series finale with Amarillo went almost perfectly for the Tulsa Drillers, but things unraveled in the top of the eighth. Holding a three-run lead, the Drillers watched the Sod Poodles rally with four runs and a 5-4 win at ONEOK Field.

The result gave Amarillo the series win in the season-opening set. The Sod Poodles won four of the six games.

BOXSCORE

For much of the day, it appeared that Tulsa would get a series split as it took only six pitches into the bottom of the first inning for the Drillers to take a lead. Leadoff batter Jacob Amaya doubled on the second pitch from starting pitcher Humberto Mejia and moved to third on a ground out. The next batter, Kody Hoese, singled to plate Amaya with the first run of the game.

Tulsa doubled its margin in the second inning when Donovan Casey led off with a double and scored on a two-out double from catcher Steve Berman.

Amarillo cut the margin in half with a run in the fifth inning before Carlos Rincon gave the Drillers some breathing room in the bottom of the seventh. After Jeren Kendall singled, Rincon sliced a drive that struck the right field foul pole for a two-run homer that upped the Drillers lead to 4-1. It was the second homer of the season for Rincon.

The three-run margin held until the eighth inning when Amarillo scored four times off reliever Justin Hagenman. The rally began when Tulsa third baseman Hoese could not corral an infield pop from Geraldo Perdomo, as the wind-blown fly fell safely for a single. After another base hit from Jake McCarthy put runners at the corners, Dominic Miroglio lined a single into right-center field. Perdomo easily scored on the hit, but so did McCarthy, racing all the way home from first base when the Drillers were slow to react.

With the lead down to one run, Camden Duzenack delivered the big blow of the game, lining an offering from Hagenman into the Budweiser Terrace in left field for a two-run homer that put Amarillo in front for the first time.

The Drillers had a chance to counter when the first two batters in the bottom of the eighth were hit by pitches from reliever Justin Lewis. Casey advanced the runners to second and third with a fly out, but Lewis recovered to strike out Kendall and Rincon to end the inning.

Berman singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, but he was left stranded at first base as Amarillo reliever Luis Castillo retired the next three batters to end the game.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

*Mark Washington served as an opener for the Drillers and worked a 1-2-3 top of the first. Washington has now retired all ten batters he has faced this season.

*Mejia settled in after surrendering the two early runs. The Amarillo starter worked six innings, allowing just the two runs on six hits while walking one batter and striking out nine.

*Ryan Noda was held without a hit for the first time this season, ending his five-game hitting streak. Noda and Michael Busch were the only Tulsa starters without a hit in the game.

*Gerardo Carrillo, who was the starting pitcher for the Drillers on opening night, replaced Washington to open the second inning and delivered four strong frames. He allowed just one run on three hits and a walk while striking out eight.

*Reliever Max Gamboa did not allow a hit in 1.2 innings of work, getting strikeouts on four of the five outs he recorded. He now has strikeouts on 7 of the 11 outs he has registered, and he has not given up a hit in 3.2 total innings this season.

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UP NEXT:* The Drillers will open a six-game series at Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday, May 11. It will mark the first road trip of the season, and first pitch for the opener is scheduled for 7:05 PM at Arvest Ballpark. The pitching matchup will be:

Tulsa – RHP Andre Jackson (0-0, 4.50 ERA)

NW Arkansas – Jonathan Bowlen (1-0, 0.00 ERA)