Drillers Win to Secure Best Start in Franchise History
Frisco, TX – The Tulsa Drillers have started the 2026 season red hot, and their victory Thursday night in Frisco has put them in unchartered territory. The Drillers took advantage of nine walks and three errors from the RoughRiders and got another dominant outing on the mound from Patrick Copen
Frisco, TX – The Tulsa Drillers have started the 2026 season red hot, and their victory Thursday night in Frisco has put them in unchartered territory. The Drillers took advantage of nine walks and three errors from the RoughRiders and got another dominant outing on the mound from Patrick Copen to record a 6-1 victory at Riders Field.
The win improved the Drillers record to 14-4, giving them the best start to a season in franchise history. The previous best start was 13-4 by the Bobby Jones led 1996 Drillers.
It was the fifth straight win for the Drillers, marking their second five-game winning streak of the season. No other Texas League team has had more than a four-game winning streak this year.
The RoughRiders were limited to just one hit in the game by Copen and three Tulsa relievers.
Tulsa took a quick lead in the win, scoring the game’s first run in the top of the first inning, and it required just one hit. With one out, Josue De Paula drew the first of his four walks and Kyle Nevin followed with a base hit. Zyhir Hope drew a walk to load the bases, and Elijah Hainline picked up the RBI when he was hit by a pitch, bringing De Paula home.
It stayed 1-0 until the top of the sixth inning when the Drillers added to their lead with more help from the RoughRiders. With one out, Sean McLain singled. McLain stole second base and advanced to third when the throw to second from catcher Ian Moller ended up in centerfield. McLain scored the game’s second run when Frisco second baseman John Taylor mishandled Chris Newell’s grounder.
The Drillers were not finished as Griffin Lockwood-Powell followed Newell with a base hit before the third error of the inning loaded the bases. Jake Gelof drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the fourth run, and Nevin continued to add to his impressive RBI total when he delivered a two-run single to cap the five-run inning and up Tulsa’s lead to 6-0.
Like the Drillers, Copen continued his hot start to the season. The right-hander allowed just one hit in 6.1 shutout innings. He walked three batters and matched a season high with nine strikeouts.
In four starts this year, Copen has blanked the opposition in three of them. He has allowed just 3 earned runs and 11 hits in 22.0 innings pitched for a 1.23 ERA. He has walked 12 batters while striking out 31. Texas League batters are hitting just .145 against him.
Frisco’s lone run in the game scored in the eighth inning against reliever Maddux Bruns. The former first-round draft pick walked two batters, hit another and uncorked a wild pitch in his one inning of work.
Christian Suarez pitched around a one-out walk to work a scoreless bottom of the ninth to close out the win.
GAME NOTES
*Nevin finished with two hits and two RBI in the game. He has now hit safely in 9 of his last 11 games, and he has 19 RBI in 18 games this season.
*Kendall George finished 0-5, ending his 11-game hitting streak. It is just the second game this season in which he has failed to get at least one hit.
*Hope had a four-game hitting streak end.
*Hainline was removed from the game after popping out in the top of the third inning, replaced by Sean McLain. The hit by pitch that Hainline suffered in the first inning appeared to hit him near the elbow.
*McLain singled in three at-bats, extending his hitting streak to four straight games.
*De Paula walked four times in the game, and Gelof walked three times. De Paula has drawn 15 walks in 17 games.
*Only two of Tulsa’s six runs were charged as earned to Frisco hurlers.
*Evan Shaw followed Copen on the mound and got the final two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
*The Drillers announced a roster move prior to the game. Catcher Nelson Quiroz was placed on the Injured List, and catcher Frank Rodriguez was activated from the Development List.
UP NEXT
The Drillers and the RoughRiders will play the fourth game of their six-game set on Friday night at Frisco’s Riders Field. Starting time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
TUL – LHP Wyatt Crowell (1-1, 3.60 ERA)
FRI – RHP Leandro Lopez (0-0, 2.20 ERA)