Drillers Top Naturals for Sixth Straight Win

TULSA - The Tulsa Drillers continued their winning ways Saturday night at ONEOK Field, scoring four times in the fifth inning to defeat Northwest Arkansas 5-1. The victory was the sixth straight for the Drillers, their longest winning streak of the season.
There was also good news from Arkansas as Springfield blanked the first-place Travelers 1-0, allowing the Drillers to move to within 4.5 games of the top spot in the North Division standings of the Texas League.
The Drillers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Jared Walker drew a one-out walk, moved to third on a base hit by Logan Landon and scored on Gavin Lux's sacrifice fly.
The Naturals got a run off Tulsa starting pitcher Michael Bowden in the top of the fourth to tie the score. Gabriel Cancel led off with his Texas League-leading 16th double, then scored on a two-out hit from former Drillers infielder Taylor Featherston.
Tulsa blew the game open with its four-run fifth. The first two came on a two-run homer from Chris Parmelee, his fifth of the season. On the next pitch, Northwest Arkansas starting pitcher Arnoldo Hernandez hit Jared Walker in the back, opening the door for more damage. Landon followed with a single before Lux drew a walk to load the bases. Zach McKinstry delivered a two-run single that increased the lead to 5-1.
WHAT YOU MISSED
Bowden had his best outing of the season to pick up his first win. The former major leaguer allowed just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out five.
Andre Scrubb, Shea Spitzbarth and Jordan Sheffield combined to hold Northwest Arkansas to only two baserunners in four scoreless innings out of the bullpen. 
It was not as good a night for Hernandez, the Naturals starter. He was charged with five runs in five innings. They were the first earned runs he had allowed at the Double-a level this season.
The Drillers will conclude their current home stand Sunday night with a fourth meeting with the Naturals. Tulsa will be off on Memorial Day before beginning a six-game road trip on Tuesday. The trip will include three games in Springfield with the Cardinals, followed by three games in North Little Rock with Arkansas.
UP NEXT:  Northwest Arkansas at Tulsa, Sunday, May 26, 7:05 PM at ONEOK Field. LHP J.C. Cloney (0-0, 4.38 ERA) vs. RHP Dustin May (2-3, 3.74 ERA).