After an April game between Tulsa Drillers and Arkansas Travelers was rained out, the stage was set for a doubleheader on Wednesday evening at Dickey-Stepehens Park in Little Rock. The Travelers got the best of the Drillers in both games, taking the first one 5-3 and the second game 6-2.
After an April game between Tulsa Drillers and Arkansas Travelers was rained out, the stage was set for a doubleheader on Wednesday evening at Dickey-Stepehens Park in Little Rock. The Travelers got the best of the Drillers in both games, taking the first one 5-3 and the second game 6-2.
After the two losses, the Drillers sit 26-32 and are a season-low six games under .500. They are three games behind first-place Springfield with 12 games left to play in the first half.
Yusniel Díaz got the scoring started in game one with a bang. With two outs in the top of the first, Diaz launched an opposite-field homer into the Travelers bullpen in right field to quickly put Tulsa on top 1-0.
Parker Curry made his second start of the season for the Drillers, and the Travelers jumped on him early. After two singles and a walk to load the bases, Beau Amaral drove in a pair of runs and gave the Travs a 2-1 lead.
The Drillers got the run right back in the top of the second. Zach Reks and Jacob Scavuzzo singled to put runners at the corners. Errol Robinson then knocked in the tying run with a sacrifice fly.
Curry settled down over the next two innings, but the Travelers bats gave him trouble in the bottom of the fourth. After a Joe DeCarlo homer, a double and a throwing error by Robinson, Arkansas was back on top 4-2 and Curry's evening was over. Brian Moran relieved the righty, and promptly gave up a single that extended the Travs lead to 5-3.
Tulsa got a run back in the top of the sixth with a Reks sacrifice fly, but they were unable to rally in the seventh and dropped game one to Arkansas 5-3.
The Travelers hit the ground running in the second game of the twin-bill. Logan Bawcom got the nod on the mound for the Drillers, and on the first pitch in the bottom of the first, allowed a home run to Braden Bishop. An inning later, a single, error, hit by pitch and a walk doubled the Arkansas lead. Joey Curletta then singled to knock in a pair, and put the Travs on top 4-0.
Michael Boyle replaced Bawcom and allowed a solo-home run to Logan Taylor in the bottom of the third. An inning later, Michael Johnson was in to pitch and Joseph Odom hit a sacrifice fly to give Arkansas a 6-0 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Diaz singled and Will Smith crushed a double to the deepest part of the ballpark and put the Drillers on the board. With one last chance in the top of the seventh, the Drillers rallied for a run after Cael Brockmeyer singled and Reks followed with a run-scoring double. But it would not be enough as the Travs earned the 6-2 win.
WHAT YOU MISSED
Scavuzzo and Diaz were responsible for most of the offense, as they led the Drillers with three hits each over the two games.
In the first game after allowing a run that was charged to the starter, Moran pitched two scoreless innings to finish the game.
Over the two games, the Drillers were 0-7 with runners in scoring position.
Former Driller Caleb Ferguson made his Major League debut with the Dodgers on Wednesday in Pittsburgh. The lefty gave up four runs in 1.2 innings and was not involved in the decision in an 11-9 loss for LA.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will take on the Travelers again on Thursday night. First pitch at Dickey-Stephens Park is scheduled for 7:10 PM, and the probable starting pitchers are:
TUL Mitchell White (0-2, 7.00 ERA)
ARK Chase De Jong (4-3, 4.19 ERA)
