Drillers Rally in the Ninth to Snap Streak
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR– Ninth inning heroics helped end the Tulsa Drillers six-game losing streak with a 7-5 victory over the Arkansas Travelers on Saturday evening. Tulsa trailed 5-3 heading into the ninth inning before a four-run frame lifted the team to victory. BOXSCORE Arkansas wasted no time pushing a
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR– Ninth inning heroics helped end the Tulsa Drillers six-game losing streak with a 7-5 victory over the Arkansas Travelers on Saturday evening. Tulsa trailed 5-3 heading into the ninth inning before a four-run frame lifted the team to victory.
Arkansas wasted no time pushing a run across in the bottom of the first inning on a wild pitch from Tulsa starting pitcher Gerardo Carrillo.
The Travs added two-run frames in the second and fifth using two home runs and an RBI single to put them ahead 5-0.
Jacob Amaya launched a two-run homer to left field in the seventh inning to bring the game to 5-2, kickstarting the comeback.
In the eighth inning, Miguel Vargas picked up his first hit with the Drillers on a home run to left center field, bringing Tulsa to within two.
In the ninth , the Drillers looked to make magic happen, but the light was beginning to look dim. The Arkansas closer went to work quickly, picking up two strikeouts to open the frame. With two outs, Berman and Michael Busch drew walks before Donovan Casey was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
With the Drillers backs against the wall, Jeren Kendall ripped a three-run triple to right field to give Tulsa its first lead of the night.
Vargas followed and added an insurance run with a single to right, scoring Kendall from third, surging Tulsa to a 7-5 lead.
Arkansas drew a walk to open the bottom of the ninth before Guillermo Zuniga entered the game and shut the door. Zuniga retired all three hitters he faced, setting the final two hitters of the game down on strikes.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
*Carrillo threw 4.2 innings, his second longest outing of the season, but he allowed the first five runs.
*After throwing 2.1 scoreless innings in relief of Carrillo, Nick Robertson has now allowed just one run in 8.0 innings of work in the month of June.
*Tulsa committed a season-high three errors in the game.
*Tulsa’s first five hitters in the lineup combined to go just 3-20 (.150) at the plate in the comeback win
*Jordan Martinson picked up his first win of the 2021 season in relief. Guillermo Zuniga added his second save of the season.
UP NEXT
Tulsa at Arkansas, Sunday, June 19 at 2:10 PM at Dickey-Stevens Park. Tulsa RHP Andre Jackson (2-1, 2.62 ERA) versus Arkansas RHP Tyler Herb (2-3, 2.03 ERA).