Drillers Fall Despite Dominant Start from Pepiot
TULSA, OK - The Tulsa Drillers entered Saturday night’s game looking to add to their five-game win streak and their four straight wins against the Wichita Wind Surge. The Drillers took an early lead in the contest, but they could not hold it Wichita ran off four unanswered runs and
TULSA, OK - The Tulsa Drillers entered Saturday night’s game looking to add to their five-game win streak and their four straight wins against the Wichita Wind Surge. The Drillers took an early lead in the contest, but they could not hold it Wichita ran off four unanswered runs and defeated the Drillers 4-2 in ten innings at ONEOK Field.
Tulsa starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot starred on the mound cruising, opening the game with five perfect innings. His perfect night ended with a lead-off walk in the top of the sixth inning as Tulsa manager Scott Hennessey turned to the bullpen. The five shutout innings lowered his ERA to 1.64 as he continues to have the lowest ERA among Tulsa’s starters.
Pepiot’s dominant start helped to give the Drillers the early two-run advantage. The first run of the game scored on Devin Mann’s RBI double, just over the outstretched arm of the third baseman. The hit scored Carlos Rincon from first, giving the Drillers a 1-0 lead.
Tulsa added a second run one inning later. Following a Jeren Kendal double, Donovan Casey singled to right, bringing Kendall home to increase the lead to 2-0.
The Wind Surge rallied to tie the game in the seventh against reliever Andrew Schwaab. A leadoff walk and a single put two runners on for Wichita. Both runners scored on a single from Aaron Whitefield tying the game at 2-2 and ending a 14-inning scoreless streak by Drillers pitchers.
Nick Robertson kept the game tied, pitching 2.1 hitless innings of relief, only issuing only walk.
The two teams went into extra innings for the second time in the series. Wichita pushed across the winning runs in the tenth on a sacrifice fly from Aaron Whitefield, followed by a solo home run from Peter Mooney.
The Drillers went down in order to give Wichita the 4-2 win.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
*Pepiot issued one walk and struck out eight in his 5.0 hitless innings.
*The Drillers lost despite allowing just three hits.
*Jeren Kendall extended his hitting streak to ten games with his double in the fifth inning.
*Mann and Hunter Feduccia were the only Drillers with multiple hits on the night.
*Tulsa struck out 14 times in the game with nine of them coming in the final five innings.
*With the loss, Tulsa’s extra-innings record dropped to 3-2.
*Attendance at ONEOK Field was 7,935, the largest crowd this season.
UP NEXT
Wichita at Tulsa, Sunday, June 13 at 1:05 PM at ONEOK Field. Wichita RHP Josh Winder (1-0, 2.27 ERA) versus Tulsa RHP Gerardo Carrillo (1-0, 3.46 ERA).