Drillers Stay Perfect in Homestand with 5-1 Victory
TULSA, OK– After falling behind in the second inning, the Tulsa pitching staff tossed 7.1 consecutive scoreless frames to close the ballgame in the Drillers 5-1 win over Wichita on Friday night at ONEOK Field. Three Tulsa pitchers combined to shut down the Wind Surge and extend the team’s lead
TULSA, OK– After falling behind in the second inning, the Tulsa pitching staff tossed 7.1 consecutive scoreless frames to close the ballgame in the Drillers 5-1 win over Wichita on Friday night at ONEOK Field. Three Tulsa pitchers combined to shut down the Wind Surge and extend the team’s lead to 3.5 games in the Double-A Central North.
With the victory, the Drillers improved their season record to 21-12 matching the best starts in the past 32 seasons for the club. The 2012 team and the 1989 team both were also 21-12 after 33 games.
A total of 7,515 fans were at ONEOK Field to see the Drillers remain perfect on the homestand and extend their winning streak to five. The attendance total shatters the previous season-high by the Tulsa faithful – 2,069 more than the Thursday night crowd that saw the Drillers take down the Wind Surge in 10 innings.
Tulsa starting pitcher John Rooney recorded his third consecutive appearance with at least seven strikeouts, matching his season-high with nine. The southpaw picked up the no decision after leaving the game with a 1-1 tie.
With a single through the left side in the fifth inning, Jeren Kendall gave the Drillers a 2-1 lead and extended his hitting streak to nine games. The former Vanderbilt outfielder immediately moved into scoring position when he swiped second base for his ninth stolen base of the season.
In each of the first five innings, Wichita left runners on base, totaling nine runners left stranded through the five frames. Reliever Bryan Brickhouse worked the first clean inning for the Drillers when he recorded two groundouts and a strikeout in the sixth.
Brickhouse set a new season-best in the contest, working 2.1 innings. The right-handeder allowed just two hits and did not issue a free pass through his time on the hill.
The Drillers added to their 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when Carlos Rincon and Kody Hoese reached on a pair of walks. The duo advanced on back-to-back wild pitches, bringing Rincon in to score. Hoese scored the fourth run of the night for Tulsa when he came home on a fielder’s choice that Jacob Amaya chopped to the Wichita shortstop.
Once again in the seventh inning, the Drillers drew consecutive walks – this time from Michael Busch and Ryan Noda. Following the free passes, the Drillers added an unearned run when Rincon reached on a throwing error by the second baseman, allowing Busch to score from second base.
Wichita threatened to score in the ninth inning when the first two batters of the inning reached before Justin Hagenman slammed the door shut with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to end the ballgame.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
*With the victory, the Drillers have matched their longest winning streak of the season at five games. It is the third five-game winning streak of the season for Tulsa, with the previous two coming between May 13-18 and May 26-30.
*Rooney made his fourth start of the season and his seventh total appearance for the Drillers. The left-hander tossed 4.0 innings and matched the single-game high for strikeouts by a Drillers pitcher this season with nine – A mark that he had set on May 29 at Arkansas. The lone run allowed by Rooney came on a two-out single in the second inning.
*Wichita left runners on base in each of the first five innings. In the fourth inning, the Wind Surge left the bases loaded when Rooney ended the inning with a punch out.
*Kendall’s hitting streak has now reached nine games, just two short of the longest by any Tulsa hitter this season. Donovan Casey and Carlos Rincon share the longest hitting streak of the season at 11 games.
*Brickhouse earned his first win as a Tulsa pitcher after throwing 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball. The win also was the first victory for Brickhouse at the AA-level in his 20th career appearance.
*Hagenman picked up his first save of the season after throwing the final 2.2 innings of work for Tulsa, striking out four. The outing matched the longest of the season for Hagenman.
UP NEXT
Wichita at Tulsa, Saturday, June 12 at 7:05 PM at ONEOK Field. Wichita RHP Austin Schulfer (1-3, 5.55 ERA) versus Tulsa RHP Ryan Pepiot (0-1, 2.12 ERA).