Drillers Score Six in the Ninth to Defeat Cardinals

SPRINGFIELD, MO - Down by four runs in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday afternoon, the Tulsa Drillers looked as if they were going to end their road trip with a defeat to the Springfield Cardinals. But in a point to prove that no baseball game is over until the final out is made, the offense exploded for six runs in its final at-bat to carry the Drillers to a 9-7 victory and a three-game series sweep over the Cards at Hammons Field.
Down 7-3 in the ninth, Carlos Rincon launched a seemingly harmless solo-home run to start the inning. Josh Thole singled and DJ Peters walked to keep the rally going, and both advanced a base on a wild pitch. Gavin Lux then notched an RBI single to bring the Drillers within two.
In a two-strike hole, Zach McKinstry came up with a clutch, no-doubt three-run home run to give Tulsa its first lead of the afternoon. Angelo Mora followed by capping the big inning with a solo homer to center, giving the Drillers a 9-7 lead.
Ben Holmes took the mound in his first start of the season for Tulsa, and the Cardinals got to him early by hitting a pair of solo home runs in the first couple innings. In the bottom of the first, Randy Arozarena sent one on to the berm in centerfield, and an inning later, Elehuris Montero launched a ball over the manually operated scoreboard in left field to give Springfield a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, Jared Walker put the Drillers on the board with a drive over the right field wall, cutting the deficit in half.
An inning later, the Cardinals added two more with another long ball. With two outs, former Driller Johan Mieses extended the Springfield lead to 4-1 with a low, line drive home run that found the bullpen in left.
Springfield added two more runs in the seventh, but Tulsa got them right back in the top of the eighth. Peters led the inning off with a blast to left, and Lux made it back-to-back homers with his Texas League leading tenth homer of the season, cutting the Drillers deficit to 6-3.
After the six-run top of the ninth, Shea Spitzbarth was called out of the bullpen for his second save attempt in as many days. Spitzbarth set down all three batters he faced in a perfect ninth, to notch his third save of the year.

 
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Holmes made six regular season starts with the Drillers in 2018 and was 2-2 with a 2.82 ERA. He also picked up a win against Arkansas in the first round of the playoffs last season after striking out eight in 6.2 scoreless innings. In his 2019 Tulsa debut, the lefthander was charged with four runs on six hits. Holmes walked two batters and struck out six in five innings.
Lux recorded nine total bases, including a pair of doubles and a home run, and extended his hitting streak to nine straight games. He now has four doubles on the season and a league-leading ten home runs.
In the top of the second, Carlos Rincon singled to notch his first Double-A hit, and in the ninth, launched his first Double-A home run. In 37 games with Rancho Cucamonga this season, Rincon hit .231 with six homers and 13 RBI.
Tulsa reliever Andre Scrubb gave up a pair of runs in the seventh inning to end a long scoreless streak. Prior to Wednesday afternoon, he had not given up an earned run since April 5. In those 11 relief appearances, Scrubb recorded 22 strikeouts and gave up only 10 hits in 20.1 scoreless innings.
UP NEXT:  Northwest Arkansas at Tulsa, Thursday, May 23 at 7:05 PM at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, OK. RHP Connor Greene (3-2, 3.96 ERA) vs. RHP J.D. Martin (1-3, 6.25 ERA).