Drillers Stage Rally but Lose in Extra Innings
TULSA – A late rally from the Tulsa Drillers that erased an early five-run deficit went to waste Thursday night as Amarillo plated a pair of tenth-inning runs to claim an 8-6 victory at ONEOK Field. It was the first extra-inning game of the season for the Drillers. The defeat
TULSA – A late rally from the Tulsa Drillers that erased an early five-run deficit went to waste Thursday night as Amarillo plated a pair of tenth-inning runs to claim an 8-6 victory at ONEOK Field. It was the first extra-inning game of the season for the Drillers. The defeat dropped their season record to 1-2.
Thursday’s game saw a couple of early-season trends continue. The two teams combined to hit four home runs in the game and have now totaled 13 in the first three games of the year. In addition, there was a total of 29 strikeouts in the game, giving the two teams a combined 78 Ks this season.
Right-hander Michael Grove made his first start of the season on the mound for Tulsa, and he blanked Amarillo through the first two innings without allowing a hit. He held a 1-0 lead thanks to Michael Busch’s second homer of the season in the first inning.
But, Grove quickly ran into trouble in the top of the third. Leading off the inning, Luis Basabe singled on a 0-2 pitch. Alek Thomas followed Basabe and lined a pitch over the left centerfield wall to turn a Drillers one-run lead into a one-run deficit.
After a strikeout, consecutive base hits put runners at the corners before a wild pitch from Grove brought home the third run of the inning.
Following a five-pitch walk, lefthander Justin Bruihl took over for Grove. Bruihl got a fielder’s choice ground out before Stone Garrett capped the big six-run inning with a three-run homer that came close to clearing the hitter’s background in centerfield.
Tulsa’s comeback began in the bottom of the fifth when Romer Cuadrado led off with his second home run of the season.
A four-run seventh inning from the Drillers tied the score at 6-6. The rally began when the first three batters of the inning reached on a pair of singles and a hit batter. Jacob Amaya plated a pair of runs with a two-run double. Following a run-scoring ground out by Busch, Kody Hoese singled home Amaya to even the score.
The game eventually went into extra innings. In the top of the tenth with the placed runner at second, Tulsa reliever Max Gamboa retired the first two batters of the inning. Zach Willeman replaced Gamboa with two outs and surrendered a run-scoring double to Camden Duzenack and an RBI single to Garrett that gave the Poodles a two-run lead.
Amarillo reliever Junior Garcia continued the strikeout theme when he closed the game out by striking out all three Drillers batters in the bottom of the tenth.
HOW IT HAPPENED
*Tulsa has now slugged eight home runs through the first three games of the season. Exactly 1/3 of their 24 hits this year have been homers.
*The Tulsa pitching staff is averaging 13 strikeouts per game. The 16 strikeouts were one short of the 17 the staff accumulated on opening night.
*It was the first game this season that Ryan Noda has not homered in. He is now tied with Cuadrado for the team lead with two homers each.
*Gamboa was charged with the loss despite delivering two no-hit relief innings.
*
UP NEXT:* Amarillo at Tulsa, Friday, May 7, 7:05 PM at ONEOK Field. Amarillo LHP Tyler Holton (0-0, 0.00 ERA) versus Tulsa RHP Gus Varland (0-0, 0.00 ERA).