Drillers Fall to the Naturals in Walk-Off Fashion

Springdale, AR- The Tulsa Drillers entered Friday night's second game in Northwest Arkansas already with a win under their belts after holding off the Naturals in the completion of Thursday's suspended game. The nightcap featured three lead changes and went into the final inning tied, but the Naturals delivered a bases loaded hit to gain a split of the two games with a 4-3 win.

The Drillers held on to win the completion of Thursday's suspended game 3-1. The Naturals scored an unearned run in the seventh to cut into Tulsa's three-run lead, but they would get no closer. Ryan Moseley and Nolan Long combined to limit the Naturals to just one hit over the final five innings.

In game two, Northwest Arkansas got on the board early in the first. A single and a walk put runners at first and second, and Emmanuel Rivera delivered a run-scoring single. A couple batters later, Angelo Castellano singled to knock in another run, giving the Naturals a 2-0 lead.

Tulsa battled back to take the lead in the fifth. Carlos Rincon started things off with a double, followed by a single from Errol Robinson that put runners at the corners. Eric Peterson collected an RBI on a groundout, and Drew Avans followed with a triple, knocking in Robinson. Avans then scored on a wild pitch, giving the Drillers a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom half of the fifth, a walk and a hit by pitch set up a sacrifice fly by D.J. Burt, tying the game at 3-3. 

The Naturals were able to plate the winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Jordan Sheffield came in out of the Drillers bullpen and allowed two walks and a single to load the bases. Nate Esposito followed with a single to bring in the winning run. 

WHAT YOU MISSED

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Drillers

JoJo Gray got the start on the mound for the Drillers and picked up a no decision after allowing no runs on two hits in three innings. 

Omar Estevez's hit streak ended at nine games. He still has a ten-game on base streak with his two walks in the game.

Avans, Rincon, and Robinson all had multi-hit hits games.

UP NEXT:  Tulsa at Northwest Arkansas, Saturday, August 10, 6:05 PM at Arvest Ballpark, Springdale, AR. LHP Leo Crawford (1-0, 0.00 ERA) versus RHP Gerson Garabito (5-8, 4.08 ERA).