Four-Run Ninth Hands Drillers Tough Loss
North Little Rock, AR – For eight innings, Thursday night’s game could not have gone better for the Tulsa Drillers. They received a dominant outing from starting pitcher Jackson Ferris and led 3-0 going into the ninth inning. That’s when things unraveled as the Travelers rallied with four runs in
North Little Rock, AR – For eight innings, Thursday night’s game could not have gone better for the Tulsa Drillers. They received a dominant outing from starting pitcher Jackson Ferris and led 3-0 going into the ninth inning. That’s when things unraveled as the Travelers rallied with four runs in the bottom of the ninth and handed the Drillers another heartbreaking loss, 4-3 at Dickey-Stephens Park.
It’s the second time in the first six games of the season that the Drillers bullpen has surrendered a late lead. Tulsa lost on opening night to Northwest Arkansas despite holding an 11-2 lead after seven innings.
While Thursday’s comeback from the Travelers was not as big, it was just as tough to swallow.
Ferris put the Drillers in position for their second win of the season after allowing just two hits in 5.2 innings while striking out six.
He was ahead went he departed the game, thanks to a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Chris Newell accounted for the first run of the game when he led off the fourth with his second homer of the season.
The Drillers were not finished in the inning as Damon Keith followed Newell to the plate and drew a walk. After stealing second, Keith scored the second run of the inning on Griffin Lockwood-Powell’s double, giving the Drillers a 2-0 lead.
Tulsa’s third run came in the seventh and was unearned. Aaron Bracho led off the inning and reached safely on first baseman Hogan Windish’s error. Following the miscue, John Rhodes doubled on the very next pitch to plate Bracho and make it a 3-0 lead for the Drillers.
Kelvin Ramirez took over for Ferris and kept the lead in place by holding the Travelers scoreless for 1.1 innings without allowing a hit.
Antonio Knowles pitched around a one-out walk to work a scoreless eighth inning and keep the three-run lead safe.
The disastrous ninth began with a leadoff double and another walk from Knowles. Windish belted a full-count offering from Knowles off the centerfield fence to plate two runs and cut Tulsa’s lead to 3-2.
Ronan Kopp looked as if he would bail Knowles out, retiring the first two batters he faced on a soft liner and a strikeout, but Josh Hood delivered a two-out single on a 0-2 count to bring Windish home and tie the game.
After Hood stole second, catcher Julio E. Rodriguez singled on a 1-2 pitch to score Hood with the game-winning run.
INSIDE THE GAME
*Keith’s team-best, four-game hitting streak came to an end with a 0-3 night. It was the first time since opening night that he was held without a hit.
*The Travelers were held without a hit from the third through the eighth innings.
*In two starts this season, Ferris has a 1.80 ERA with 13 strikeouts in ten innings pitched.
*Knowles was 0-3 in save opportunities for the Drillers last season.
*Kopp was charged with the loss, his first of the season.
*Arkansas had six hits in the game and four of them came in the bottom of the ninth.
*Lockwood-Powell finished 1-4 at the plate and is hitting .364 for the Drillers.
UP NEXT
The Drillers and Travelers will play the fourth game of their six-game series on Friday night in North Little Rock. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Dickey-Stephens Park and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
Tulsa – RHP Jared Karros (0-1, 14.73 ERA)
Arkansas – RHP Dylan File (0-1, 13.50 ERA)