Drillers Snap Streaks with 4-3 Win over Corpus Christi

The Tulsa Drillers ended a couple of negative streaks Friday night at ONEOK Field in the opening game of a three-game series with Corpus Christi. First, the Drillers snapped a 24-inning scoreless streak by plating a run in the third inning. More importantly, Tulsa rallied for three more runs in the seventh to register a 4-3 win over the Hooks and end a season high five-game losing streak. The result also ended a five-game winning streak for Corpus Christi.
A poor defensive inning from the Drillers in the top of the third gave the Hooks two runs and an early lead in the game. It began when the inning's leadoff batter, Myles Straw, reached safely on Errol Robinson's throwing error. Josh Rojas followed with a drive to deep left field. Tulsa left fielder Zach Reks reached the drive, but he dropped it for a two-base error that put runners at second and third. After Straw scored on a sacrifice fly, Randy César singled to centerfield. Rojas had stopped at third base on the hit, but when the ball rolled under the glove of centerfielder Yusniel Díaz, he came home to give the Hooks a 2-0 lead.
The Drillers got one of the runs back in the bottom half of the third. Tyler Goeddel and Luke Raley opened the inning with back-to-back singles that put runners at the corners. Goeddel scored when Diaz grounded into a double play, ending Tulsa's scoreless streak.
Corpus Christi added a third run in the fourth when Straw singled home Alex De Goti, who had doubled.
It remained 3-1 until the Drillers rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Tulsa loaded the bases when Reks, Angelo Mora and Robinson opened the inning with three straight singles. Reks scored on Goeddel's fielder's choice ground out to cut the deficit to a single run. After Raley was hit by a pitch, Diaz erased the Hooks' lead with a two-run single that put the Drillers in front 4-3.
Reliever Ariel Hernández maintained the lead. Hernandez worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning before surviving a tense ninth. The right-hander hit Straw with a pitch to open the inning. After Straw swiped second base, he moved to third on an infield ground out. Hernandez hit another batter to put runners at first and third with only one out, bringing the dangerous Cesar to the plate. Hernandez enticed a slow roller toward short from the big first baseman that Robinson turned into a 6-4-3, game-ending double play that preserved the win for the Drillers.
For Hernandez, it was his third save of the season.
WHAT YOU MISSED
Right-hander Parker Curry made his first start of the season in his 2018 Drillers debut. Curry had made 16 appearances, all in relief, for Rancho Cucamonga before being promoted to Tulsa on Thursday. Making the rare start, Curry was charged with three runs in 3.1 innings, but only one was earned.
Michael Boyle, who was also making his Drillers debut, followed Curry to the mound and was outstanding. The lefthander walked three, but did not allow a hit in 2.2 scoreless innings of work.
A third pitcher, Logan Ondrusek, also made his Tulsa debut when he replaced Boyle. Ondrusek, who spent six years in the majors with Cincinnati, worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning for the Drillers to get credit for the win.
Diaz finished 2-3 in the game with the 2 runs batted in.
*Dennis Santana, who began the season with the Drillers, made his major league debut Friday night with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Santana came on as a reliever in the second inning and gave up 5 runs in 3.2 innings. He also doubled with the bases loaded in his first-ever at-bat in the majors.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will play the middle game of their three-game series with the Hooks on Saturday night. It will be a Tulsa's Channel 8 Grand Slam Saturday with a post-game Fireworks Spectacular presented by the Hard Rock Casino. The pitching matchup will be:

CC        Alex Winkelman (2-2, 4.58 ERA)
TUL      Mitchell White (0-2, 9.69 ERA)