Drillers Fall Just Short in Loss to Travelers
TULSA, OK – Baseball can sometimes be a game of inches and the Tulsa Drillers discovered just that on Thursday night at ONEOK Field. Tulsa entered the ninth inning trailing the Arkansas Travelers 4-3. With two outs and a runner at first base, Los Angeles Dodgers #1 prospect Dalton Rushing
TULSA, OK – Baseball can sometimes be a game of inches and the Tulsa Drillers discovered just that on Thursday night at ONEOK Field. Tulsa entered the ninth inning trailing the Arkansas Travelers 4-3. With two outs and a runner at first base, Los Angeles Dodgers #1 prospect Dalton Rushing hit a deep fly ball that appeared to be destined for a home run, but Arkansas center fielder Jared Oliva raced back to the right field wall and made the catch against the four-foot high wall for the game’s final out and rob Rushing of a game-winning home run.
The loss was the second for the Drillers in the first three games of a six-game series with the Travelers.
Arkansas took an early 2-0 lead in the game thanks to two errors by the Drillers in the first two innings.
Tulsa recovered from the shaky start in the third inning by tying the game. Brandon Lewis began the scoring by belting his first home run of the year. Rushing followed with a second solo homer, bringing the score to 2-2.
Austin Gauthier had runners at first and second in the fifth inning when he delivered an RBI single to put the Drillers ahead 3-2.
In the sixth, the Travelers used a single and three consecutive walks to tie the game. One batter later, Brandon Lewis rescued the Drillers from a bases-loaded jam by fielding a hard-hit ground ball for a double play to end the inning.
Arkansas retook the lead in the eighth inning. Tulsa reliever Juan Morillo came on to begin the inning, and Hogan Windish drew a leadoff walk. Windish eventually stole both second and third bases without a throw from catcher Diego Cartaya. From there, Jake Anchia singled him home to give the Travs a 4-3 lead.
With two outs and the bases empty in the ninth, Gauthier singled to keep Tulsa’s comeback hopes alive. Rushing followed with his deep fly ball which was caught against the wall to stymie the Drillers rally and end the game. The blast came of Rushing's bat at 111 m.p.h. and traveled 405 feet but was kept in the ballpark by Oliva.
INSIDE THE GAME
*Justin Wrobleski made another strong start on the mound in his second career start for the Drillers. The former OSU Cowboy worked five innings for the second consecutive start and allowed only one earned run with six strikeouts.
*Rushing’s third-inning home run was his second of the season. With the hit, he has now hit safely in all six games he has played this season.
*The final out was not the only home run that was taken away by the Travs. In the seventh, Tulsa’s Brendon Davis hit a deep fly ball that Grant Witherspoon caught against the short right field wall.
*Morillo received the loss, pitching two thirds of an inning and allowing one hit, one run and one walk.
*Reliever Michael Flynn tossed two scoreless innings for Tulsa and escaped jams in both innings. The outing came against his former team as Flynn appeared in 15 games for the Travs in 2023.
*The Drillers turned two double plays in the game and increased their season total to 10, which leads Double-A. They have turned two double plays in five of the six games they have played this season.
UP NEXT:
The fourth game of the six-game series between the Drillers and Travelers will be played Friday night at ONEOK Field. Starting time is set for 7:00 p.m. and the starting pitchers are scheduled to be:
ARK – LHP Reid VanScoter (0-0, 6.23 ERA)
TUL - RHP Ben Casparius (0-0, 6.75 ERA)