Late Home Run Drops Drillers
SPRINGDALE, AR – The Tulsa Drillers entered Tuesday’s game leading all 30 Double-A teams in home runs this season, using long balls to help record many of their 53 wins. In Tuesday’s series opener at Northwest Arkansas, they were on the wrong side of a big home run. In the
SPRINGDALE, AR – The Tulsa Drillers entered Tuesday’s game leading all 30 Double-A teams in home runs this season, using long balls to help record many of their 53 wins. In Tuesday’s series opener at Northwest Arkansas, they were on the wrong side of a big home run.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Northwest Arkansas’ John Rave broke a 5-5 tie with a three-run homer over the centerfield fence. Rave’s 11th home run of the season gave the Naturals a lead they would not give up as they defeated the Drillers 9-5 at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Arkansas.
It was the first game of a six-game series at Northwest Arkansas. The Naturals have now won 8 of the 13 meetings this season between the two teams.
With the expiration of the major league trade deadline earlier in the day providing a distraction for many players throughout professional baseball, the two teams began Tuesday’s game slowly. The game was scoreless after two innings before both team’s offenses came alive in the third.
In the top of the third, the Driller manufactured the game’s first run when Abiatal Avelino led off with a single and moved into scoring position by stealing second base. Jonny DeLuca brought him home with a double into the right-center gap.
With one out in the bottom of the third, Tyler Cropley doubled for the first hit of the game for the Naturals. On the next pitch, Jake Means hit his eighth home run of the year to put Northwest Arkansas in front 2-1.
The Drillers tied the game in the fourth as Buddy Reed singled and scored on Leonel Valera’s double.
They went back in front in the fifth on Andy Pages’ 18th home run.
The Naturals again responded as things unraveled for the Drillers and starting pitcher John Rooney in the bottom of the fifth. Cropley opened the inning with a base hit, but he was still at first with two outs. Nick Loftin singled to keep the inning going, before Rooney gifted the Naturals a run with an errant pickoff attempt that allowed Cropley to score.
Tyler Gentry followed with a double that plated Loftin with the go-ahead run.
Jose Martinez replaced Rooney and got a groundball that would have ended the inning, but it was misplayed by shortstop Valera for another error, allowing Gentry to score to give the Naturals a 5-3 lead.
The Drillers used their second home run of the night to tie the game in the seventh. With two outs, DeLuca singled for his third hit of the game. The hit kept the inning going and brought Texas League home run leader Ryan Ward to the plate. After three straight pitches out of the strike zone from reliever Christian Chamberlain, Ward swung away at the 3-0 pitch and deposited it beyond the right field fence. It was Ward’s 25th homer of the year and tied the score at 5-5.
It would prove to be the blow of the night from the Drillers, as their hopes of a series-opening win ended in the bottom of the seventh on Rave’s game-deciding homer.
HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:
*The Tulsa roster underwent several changes on Tuesday afternoon, with several factors contributing. Infielder Devin Mann was transferred to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and infielder Justin Yurchak was removed from the Temporarily Inactive List to replace him.
Pitcher Clayton Beeter was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Yankees in the deal that brought Joey Gallo to LA.
Relief pitcher Kevin Malisheski was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and pitcher Cole Percival was transferred to Tulsa from High-A Great Lakes. Percival is the son of former MLB closer Troy Percival.
*The Drillers matched a season high with three errors. It marked the sixth time this year they have committed three in a game.
*Rooney worked 4.2 innings and was charged with five runs, only four earned, on six hits and a pair of walks. He struck out seven.
*DeLuca’s big night at the plate extended his on-base streak to 15 straight games. He is now hitting .311 in 21 games since joining the Drillers.
UP NEXT: The Drillers will play the second game of their six game series with the Naturals on Wednesday night. Starting time at Arvest Ballpark is again set for 7:05 p.m. The starting pitchers are likely to be:
Tulsa – TBA
NW Arkansas – LHP T.J. Sikkema (1-1, 2.48 ERA at High-A Hudson Valley)