Drillers Fall on Sunday to Split Series in Frisco
Frisco, TX – The Tulsa Drillers have not had trouble scoring runs against the Frisco RoughRiders, averaging seven runs per game in their first five matchups this season. On Sunday evening, Tulsa’s offense was stymied as four Frisco pitchers held the Drillers to four hits and gave Tulsa its first
Frisco, TX – The Tulsa Drillers have not had trouble scoring runs against the Frisco RoughRiders, averaging seven runs per game in their first five matchups this season. On Sunday evening, Tulsa’s offense was stymied as four Frisco pitchers held the Drillers to four hits and gave Tulsa its first shutout loss in an 8-0 final at Riders Field.
The defeat was the Drillers third straight and resulted in a split of the six-game series after Tulsa opened the series with three consecutive wins. It was also the first of the four series played this season in which the Drillers did not record a series victory.
Tulsa had been successful in the early innings against Frisco, scoring in the first inning in each of the first five games of the series. That was not the case on Sunday as the Drillers were retired 1-2-3 in the first.
The RoughRiders had different results in the bottom half of the first as Frainyer Chavez’s leadoff single, followed by two stolen bases, set up Dylan Dreiling’s RBI single that gave them a 1-0 lead.
Left-hander Christian Suarez was making his first start in three seasons with the Drillers in the game, and after the first inning run, he kept the RoughRiders off the board over the next two innings.
Cam Day and Maddux Bruns combined to keep Frisco scoreless before the Drillers had their best opportunity to score in the sixth.
Frisco’s starting pitcher David Davalillo held Tulsa hitters to just one hit before that sixth inning, which began with a single and a double that put Sean McLain and Kendall George at second and third base with no outs. Davalillo responded by striking out Jose De Paula, Kyle Nevin and Zyhir Hope to end the threat.
The Riders added to their one-run lead in the seventh inning. With one out, a triple, an error and a walk loaded the bases. The Drillers got the groundball they were looking for, but third baseman Nevin threw wide of home plate, allowing two Frisco baserunners to score. An RBI groundout followed to extend Frisco’s lead to 4-0.
Three singles in the eighth scored the RoughRiders final four runs to up the margin to 8-0.
GAME NOTES
*Suarez finished his start by allowing just one run on three hits, but he was charged with his first loss of the season. He also struck out four Frisco hitters and did not issue a walk. The start was only the sixth of his professional career and his first since August 21, 2019, when he was with the Dodgers Dominican Summer League team.
*McLain earned one of the Drillers four hits to extend his hitting streak to seven games. He finished the week 7-for-18 (.389) in six games against the RoughRiders.
*Tulsa hitters struck out 14 times against Frisco pitchers, one shy of the team’s season high. Ten of the strikeouts came from the starter Davalillo
*Hope recorded two of Tulsa’s four hits.
*De Paula’s 12-game on base streak ended in the loss as he finished 0-for-4.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will return to ONEOK Field to host the San Antonio Missions for the second time this season beginning on Tuesday morning. The six-game series will open with consecutive day games with the series opener set to begin at 11:00 a.m. Neither team has announced starting pitchers for the opener.