Tulsa Rallies in Ninth to Win Fifth Straight
Tulsa, OK – Not often does a Minor League baseball player want to get hit by a pitch, but on Thursday night, a hit by pitch provided the winning run for the Tulsa Drillers. Tulsa and the Wichita Wind Surge entered the ninth inning tied at 5-5, but the Drillers
Tulsa, OK – Not often does a Minor League baseball player want to get hit by a pitch, but on Thursday night, a hit by pitch provided the winning run for the Tulsa Drillers. Tulsa and the Wichita Wind Surge entered the ninth inning tied at 5-5, but the Drillers appeared to lose hope when a solo home run from Kala’i Rosario scored the go-ahead run. Tulsa kept fighting and rallied in the bottom of the ninth. After the Drillers worked the bases loaded, Elijah Hainline drew a walk to force in the tying run, and Griffin Lockwood-Powell was hit by a pitch on a 3-0 count to score the winning run that gave the Drillers a 7-6 win at ONEOK Field.
Tulsa has now won half of its games in comeback fashion, as Thursday marked the club’s 20th comeback in 40 wins this season.
The victory also helped the Drillers stay 2.5 games ahead of Arkansas in the Texas League’s North Division, first-half standings, with nine games remaining in the first half of the season.
Tulsa played from behind for most of the night as Wichita opened the game with three runs in the first two innings. In the opening frame, Tulsa starting pitcher Patrick Copen struggled with his command as a walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch helped a fielder’s choice grounder score the Wind Surge’s first run.
Two more runs scored when Cody Morissette hit a two-run homer to put Tulsa down 3-0.
The Drillers cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Lockwood-Powell was grazed by a pitch, and Jake Gelof followed with a first-pitch home run that traveled 450 feet.
Morissette was responsible for Wichita’s next run in the fourth inning as he singled and scored Miguel Briceno to make the score 4-2.
The Drillers managed to cut the Wind Surge’s lead back to one by scoring again in the fourth. With two outs, Chris Newell drew a walk and stole second base to set up Kyle Nevin, who doubled and gave Tulsa its third run.
In the fifth, Jorel Ortega hit a sacrifice fly to again increase Wichita’s lead.
The Drillers finally completed the comeback by tying the game in the bottom of the fifth. Josue De Paula began the inning with a triple, and Mike Sirota drew a walk. Elijah Hainline then hit a chopping single to score De Paula and bring Tulsa within one. A passed ball and a wild pitch allowed Sirota to advance two bases and score to tie the game at 5-5.
Neither team scored again until the ninth when Rosario hit his go-ahead solo home run in the top half of the inning.
The Drillers did not die in the bottom half that began with Nevin lining out to center field. Following the out, Tulsa's next three hitters reached base as Joe Vetrano reached on a fielding error, De Paula singled and Sirota drew a walk. Hainline kept Tulsa alive as he worked the count full and eventually drew a walk to force in the tying run. A strikeout followed to bring Lockwood-Powell to the plate. The catcher took three straight balls against Wichita pitcher Kyle Bischoff, before he was hit with the fourth pitch of the at-bat to force in the winning run.
GAME NOTES
*The win also upped Tulsa’s record in the Coors Light Propeller Series to 7-2.
*Gelof’s homer extended his on-base streak to 24 straight games. It also marked his sixth home run in June, which is tied for the second most in Double A for the month. He has now hit six home runs in his last seven games and has 12 total for the season.
*Gelof’s home run was also the 11th straight game that Tulsa has hit in a home run.
*Sirota earned three walks and increased his Minor League best on-base streak to 50 games, which includes 20 games played with the Drillers and his last 30 with High-A Great Lakes.
*Hainline also increased his on-base streak to 25 games by reaching base twice on Thursday.
*Kelvin Ramirez was credited with the win to bring his record to 3-1.
*Lockwood-Powell scored on Gelof’s home run and has now scored a run in seven straight games.
*Copen completed four innings and was charged with four runs on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts in his 12th start of the season.
*Before the game started, there was a 1 hour and 5 minute delay as a precaution due to a strong rain system that threatened downtown Tulsa.
UP NEXT
The Drillers and Wind Surge will continue the Coors Light Propeller Series on Friday night with the fourth game of their current six-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at ONEOK Field and the pitching matchup is expected to be:
Wichita – RHP Cory Lewis (0-2, 5.60 ERA)
Tulsa – RHP Peter Heubeck (0-0, 3.38 ERA)