Homers from Rincon and Kendall Cap Dramatic Rally
TULSA, OK – In a game Thursday night that featured a combined ten home runs from Tulsa and Wichita, it was Drillers designated hitter Carlos Rincon and outfielder Jeren Kendall who provided the biggest blasts of the night. Rincon’s three-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the ninth
TULSA, OK – In a game Thursday night that featured a combined ten home runs from Tulsa and Wichita, it was Drillers designated hitter Carlos Rincon and outfielder Jeren Kendall who provided the biggest blasts of the night. Rincon’s three-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning capped a six-run Tulsa rally over the final three innings that forced the game into extra frames. After holding Wichita scoreless in the top of the tenth inning, Kendall completed the comeback and the improbable win with a two-out, two-run homer in a crazy 12-10 win for the Drillers that was their second straight walk-off victory.
For most of the four hours the game took to complete, Tulsa’s three-game winning streak seemed certain to end. Wichita had pounded five home runs and carried a 10-4 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Drillers got a homer from Hunter Feduccia leading off the bottom of the seventh that cut the deficit to 10-5.
Ryan Noda did the same in the eighth, leading off with his team-leading eighth home run. Later in the inning, an infield, run-scoring hit by Romer Cuadrado trimmed the deficit to three runs and set the stage for Rincon.
Down 10-7, Donovan Casey singled and Michael Busch walked with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Wichita moved to within one out of a win when Noda was called out on strikes, but it only set the stage for Rincon. The outfielder belted a 2-1 pitch from Calvin Faucher over the hitter’s background in straightaway centerfield for a game-tying three-run homer. The blast carried 460 feet with an exit velocity of 111 m.p.h.
At 460 FEET, 111 MPH, Carlos Rincon ties the game in the 9th with a 3 run homer! That's the rally we've been looking for!! pic.twitter.com/jzLi7sUqLk
— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) June 11, 2021
It would not be the final blast of the night.
In the tenth inning, Guillermo Zuniga set the Wind Surge down in order, stranding the placed runner.
In the bottom of the tenth, the first two Drillers hitters were retired, bringing Kendall, who was hitless in the game, to the plate. He quickly fell into a two-strike hole before lofting a pitch from Ryan Mason into the right-field bullpen for the game-winning homer, setting off a field rushing celebration from the Drillers.
What. A. Ballgame. Jeren Kendall with a walk-off home run in the 10th!
— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) June 11, 2021
This is #DRILLVILLE pic.twitter.com/c3ymRlzG8l
The big offensive night began early with Wichita providing the fireworks. Drillers starting pitcher Michael Grove retired the game’s first two hitters, but the third out was difficult to obtain. Ernie De La Trinidad’s solo home run opened the scoring. After Caleb Hamilton walked, B.J. Boyd hit a drive deep onto the right field concourse to give Wichita a quick 3-0 lead.
Andrew Bechtold drew a leadoff walk from Grove to begin the second inning, ending the night for the Tulsa right-hander. Bryan Warzek relieved and gave up a walk and a base hit to load the bases, then hit De La Trinidad with a pitch to force home a fourth run.
The Drillers responded in the bottom of the second when Kody Hoese drew a leadoff walk, and Jacob Amaya singled. Feduccia singled home Hoese, and with two outs, Casey lined a three-run homer to right field to tie the game at 4-4.
Wichita again flexed its muscle in the fourth to go back in front. With two outs and the bases empty, Jose Miranda reached on an error. Jermaine Palacios followed with his fifth home run of the season to put the Wind Surge back in front.
Hamilton led off the top of the fifth with Wichita’s fourth homer of the night, upping the Surge’s lead to 7-4.
They added two more runs in the sixth when reliever Cyrillo Watson walked the first three batters of the inning before surrendering a two-run single to Hamilton.
Wichita’s fifth homer of the night accounted for the tenth run as Andrew Bechtold led off the seventh with a solo shot. It would prove to be the Wind Surge’s final tally of the night.
The 12-10 game came just over 24 hours after the Drillers 1-0 win over the Wind Surge Wednesday afternoon.
The five home runs hit by the Drillers were a season high, while the five homers surrendered by Tulsa pitchers were also a season.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
*The win was the fourth straight for the Drillers and their 11th in their past 13 games. It also padded their first-place lead over the Surge to 2.5 games.
*Grove’s early departure came after only 23 pitches and looked to be heat related. Game time temperature was 91 degrees with a heat index reading in triple digits.
*Casey finished with two hits and extended his hitting streak to seven straight games. Earlier this season, the outfielder had an 11-game streak.
*Feduccia’s seventh-inning homer was his second of the season in just 19 games. The catcher has never hit more than four home runs in a season during his professional career.
*Tulsa used six different pitchers to complete the ten innings.
*The 22 total runs were a season high for a Drillers game.
*The Drillers wore T-Town Clowns jerseys in the game to pay homage to Tulsa’s former Negro league team that played in the Greenwood District for a number of years as a semi-professional team.
UP NEXT
Wichita at Tulsa, Friday, June 11 at 7:05 PM at ONEOK Field. RHP Chris Vallimont (0-2, 5.63 ERA) versus Tulsa LHP John Rooney (0-1, 3.80 ERA).