Wrobleski Delivers in Tulsa’s Shutout Win
TULSA, OK – Pitching had dominated the first five games of Tulsa’s six-game series with Arkansas, and that trend continued in Sunday’s series finale. In an almost must-win game, the Drillers got a brilliant outing from starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy delivered seven shutout innings against
TULSA, OK – Pitching had dominated the first five games of Tulsa’s six-game series with Arkansas, and that trend continued in Sunday’s series finale. In an almost must-win game, the Drillers got a brilliant outing from starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy delivered seven shutout innings against the Travelers in a tightly contested game at ONEOK Field that the Drillers eventually won 7-0 thanks to four late runs.
The result kept the Drillers in the race for the first-half title in the Texas League’s North Division. Tulsa now trails the first place Travelers by just 2.5 games, while second-place Springfield is 1.5 games out of the top spot.
Entering Sunday’s matchup, the Drillers and Travelers were both hitting under .200 in the first five games of the series and were each averaging less than three runs scored per game.
For the most part, the bats remained silent on Sunday, but a pair of solo home runs for Tulsa, one from Brendon Davis and another from Damon Keith, helped to give the Drillers edge.
Wrobleski allowed four hits to the Travelers and needed just 75 pitches to complete his seven-inning stint. He walked only one batter and struck out four.
Davis gave him a 1-0 lead with an opposite-field homer in the bottom of the fifth, and Keith doubled the margin with another opposite-field shot in the sixth.
Later in the sixth, Diego Cartaya stole home on the back end of a double steal to give the Drillers a 3-0 lead.
Tulsa put the game away with a four-run eighth inning.
In relief of Wrobleski, Ronan Kopp struck out the side in a 1-2-3 eighth inning, and Logan Boyer pitched around a single and a walk in the ninth to complete the shutout.
INSIDE THE GAME
*It marked the first series win for Tulsa over the Travelers in nearly two years. The Drillers had lost the last five series between the two teams with their last series win coming in a six-game series at ONEOK Field in July of the 2022 season.
*The steal of home by Cartaya was just the third stolen base of the catcher’s professional career and his first since the final game of the 2022 season.
*Wrobleski’s outing continued a recent trend for the lefthander. In six starts since May 18, he has allowed just 5 earned runs in 34.1 innings pitched for a 1.31 ERA. With Sunday’s victory, Wrobleski improved his season record to 5-2, and he has walked more than one batter in just one of his 13 starts this year.
*The shutout was the fifth of the year for Tulsa pitchers with two of them coming in the series with the Travelers. Four of the five shutouts this year have occurred at ONEOK Field.
*Jose Ramos finished with three hits in the game, while Cartaya had two and two runs scored. It was the first three-hit game of the season for Ramos and his first since June 18 of last season.
*Dalton Rushing singled home two of the four runs in the eighth inning. He has now hit safely in eight of his past nine games.
UP NEXT:
After an off day on Monday, the Drillers will open the final series of the first half on Tuesday evening at Northwest Arkansas. The six-game series will run through Sunday, June 23. First pitch for Tuesday’s opener at Arvest Ballpark is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
TUL – RHP Orlando Ortiz-Mayr (2-4, 6.45 ERA)
NWA – TBA