Hope Blasts Drillers to Seventh Straight Win
Amarillo, TX – Amarillo’s Hodgetown lived up to its reputation Tuesday night of being a “hitter-friendly ballpark.” The Tulsa Drillers and the Amarillo Sod Poodles combined for 21 total runs as Tulsa climbed out of an early four-run hole to score 13 runs and earn a 13-9 win in the
Amarillo, TX – Amarillo’s Hodgetown lived up to its reputation Tuesday night of being a “hitter-friendly ballpark.” The Tulsa Drillers and the Amarillo Sod Poodles combined for 21 total runs as Tulsa climbed out of an early four-run hole to score 13 runs and earn a 13-9 win in the opening game of a six-game series.
The Drillers biggest offensive outburst came in the fifth when they matched their season high in an inning by scoring seven runs. In addition, 6 of the Drillers 13 runs were driven in by outfielder Zyhir Hope, who blasted two three-run homers.
The win raised the first-place Drillers win streak to seven straight games, the club’s longest of the season.
The victory was also the Drillers 14th comeback victory of the season, but just their fourth on the road.
Amarillo began the game with four straight hits and eventually sent nine hitters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning, which resulted in the Sod Poodles taking a 4-0 lead.
After being activated from the Injured List earlier in the day, it did not take Taylor Young long to make an impact. On the first pitch of his first at-bat of the season, Young hit an opposite-field home run to give the Drillers their first run in the second inning.
Jake Gelof extended his hitting streak in the fourth and produced a run in doing so as Elijah Hainline scored from second to make the score 4-2.
The Drillers completed the comeback by matching their biggest inning of the season in the fifth. Tulsa quickly scored a run without a hit thanks to a walk, catcher’s interference and an error. A single by Josue De Paula followed to tie the game, and Mike Sirota was next with a double that gave the Drillers the lead. Tulsa did not stop as Hope hit a three-run homer and Young followed with an RBI single to give the Drillers a 9-4 lead.
Amarillo reduced its deficit to three in the bottom of the fifth on Ben McLaughlin’s two-run homer.
One inning later, Hope belted his second three-run homer of the night to give Tulsa a 12-6 lead.
Amarillo scored three more runs but never got closer than a three-run deficit. In the sixth, the Sod Poodles scored their seventh and eighth runs. In the eighth, Manuel Pena hit his Texas League leading 21st home run to produce Amarillo’s ninth run.
Sirota singled in the ninth to plate Joe Vetrano for Tulsa’s 13th and final run.
GAME NOTES
*Tuesday marked Hope’s second two home run game this season, with other occurring on May 17 against Springfield. His six RBI also set a new career high for the 21-year-old. The six RBI performance was also the most by a Tulsa hitter this season.
*The two teams combined for six errors that led to three unearned runs. Hainline was charged with his first error of the season, snapping a 44-game streak without an error. The streak was the longest in Double A.
*After his home run in his first at-bat this season, Young went on to reach base three more times by drawing two walks and earning another hit. He also drove in two runs.
*De Paula and Hainline each extended their respective on-base streaks in the win, as De Paula raised his streak to 19 and Hainline to 18 games. De Paula also increased his hitting streak to ten straight games.
*The Drillers turned to the bullpen for game one in Amarillo. Tulsa used six pitchers in the win, with Evan Shaw making just his second professional start. Left-hander Myles Caba was credited with the win, pitching 2 1/3 innings, to bring his record to 2-1.
*Sirota also improved two impressive streaks in the big win. Since joining the Drillers, he has reached base in all 12 games he has played, and combined between Great Lakes and Tulsa, he has reached base in 42 consecutive games, the longest active on-base streak in Minor League Baseball.
*Gelof’s fourth inning single extended his hitting streak to 11 games. The streak matches the longest hitting streak by a Tulsa hitter this season, as Kendall George had an 11-game streak from April 7-22.
*De Paula entered Tuesday’s series opener as the reigning Texas League Player of the Week. Last week in Tulsa’s six-game sweep of Northwest Arkansas, De Paula hit .500 and led the league in hits (12), doubles (6) and runs scored (11). He also hit two home runs, drove in six runs and struck out just once.
*Young was one of the two activations from the Injured List for the Drillers on Tuesday. Pitcher Lucas Wepf was also removed from the Injured List. To make room on the roster, infielder Sean McLain and outfielder Kendall George were placed on the Injured List.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will continue the six-game series and play game two against the Sod Poodles on Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Hodgetown and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
Tulsa – LHP Adam Serwinowski (3-2, 6.86 ERA)
Amarillo – LHP Avery Short (2-1, 3.68 ERA)