Drillers Strike Early to Defeat Sod Squad
Tulsa, OK- The Tulsa Drillers were held scoreless over the final eight innings Wednesday night in a matchup with the Amarillo Sod Squad, but they still found a way to win. The Drillers scored four first-inning runs, then used an impressive pitching performance from a trio of hurlers to claim
Tulsa, OK- The Tulsa Drillers were held scoreless over the final eight innings Wednesday night in a matchup with the Amarillo Sod Squad, but they still found a way to win. The Drillers scored four first-inning runs, then used an impressive pitching performance from a trio of hurlers to claim a 4-3 win at ONEOK Field in the second game of a three-game Texas Collegiate League series with Amarillo.
The Drillers wasted little time in jumping front. In the bottom of the first inning, the first five batters reached base safely, and four of them scored. Leadoff batter Cameron Chick was hit by a pitch, and Alec Sanchez drew a walk. After Jamal O’Guinn singled home the game’s first run, Aidan Nagle walked to load the bases. Ben Ramirez singled home two runs before Nagle scored on a fielder’s choice ground out to give Tulsa the early 4-0 lead.
Amarillo got one of the runs back in the second, and two more in the fourth on a two-run single from Jose Torres that cut the lead to 4-3.
OU right-hander Javier Ramos, who is from Vian, Oklahoma, escaped trouble in the top of the seventh for the Drillers. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with just one out, but Ramos struck out the next two batters to end the threat.
Shane Mejia closed it out with two dominant innings. The lefthander from Nicholls State struck out the side in both the eighth and ninth innings to pick up his first save. The only blemish was a one-out walk in the ninth.
He saved the win for starter Garrett Crowley who collected his first win of the year.
TULSA HITTERS: The Drillers were limited to just six hits, and just two over the final five innings. Ben Ramirez accounted for two of them, going 2-5 with two RBI.
Sanchez extended his hitting streak to four straight games with a seventh-inning double.
Nagle was 0-3, snapping his five-game streak.
O’Guinn’s RBI in the first inning gives him six runs batted in over his last four games.
TULSA PITCHERS: Fordham University’s Crowley made his second start of the season. The lefthander pitched 3.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits, but only one of the runs was earned.
Ramos turned in his second impressive outing of the year. He gave up three hits in 3.1 shutout, relief innings. Ramos walked two and struck out five and is now unscored upon in 6.1 total innings this season.
The three Tulsa pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts. As a staff, Tulsa has now registered 115 strikeouts in 74 innings this season.
UP NEXT: Tulsa and Amarillo close out their three-game series Thursday night at ONEOK Field. It will be Thirsty Thursday with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available online by clicking HERE. The game can also be viewed online with a subscription to TCL-TV.
The starting pitchers are scheduled to be:
Amarillo - TBD
Tulsa – RHP Kale Davis (1-0, 0.00 ERA)