TL1 Tulsa Drillers

Drillers Drop 2nd Straight

Published on August 1, 2009 under Texas League (TL1)
Tulsa Drillers News Release


The Arkansas Travelers may be in 4th place in the North Division standings of the Texas League, but over the past two nights they have shown they have not given up on the season. On Saturday, one night after scoring nine first-inning runs, Arkansas scored twice in the first frame and never trailed in beating the Tulsa Drillers 6-1 at Drillers Stadium. For the Drillers, it was their second straight loss to the Travs.

The Drillers had entered the series with the Travelers on a hot streak, winning 12 of their past 16 games. Despite the two straight losses for the Drillers, they remain only one game behind first-place Northwest Arkansas. The Naturals lost their second straight to Springfield Saturday night.

The two first-inning runs for Arkansas came when Coby Smith and Nate Sutton drew walks from Tulsa starting pitcher Kurt Birkins. Mark Trumbo then grounded a double down the first base line, bringing Smith home and sending Sutton to third. When Hank Conger followed with a groundout, Sutton came home to make it 2-0.

Arkansas added another run in the second as Wilberto Ortiz and Jay Caligiuri led off with consecutive singles, putting runners at first and third. Ortiz scored the Travs' third run when Hainley Statia grounded into a double play

In the fourth, Conger doubled and eventually scored on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze bunt by Ortiz.

The Travelers made it 6-0 with a two-run fifth inning. Statia singled and Peter Bourjos reached on an error by Birkins, and Conger brought them both home with a two-run single.

Tulsa's Ryan Harvey ended the shutout with a solo home run to left in the bottom of the seventh. It was his 15th homer of the year and his third in the last two games.

In his second outing with the Drillers, Birkins (0-1) suffered the loss. He gave up four earned runs on seven hits with a strikeout in 4 1/3 innings of work.

Matt Reynolds relieved Birkins and worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings, while Alberto Alburquerque went two hitless innings. Andrew Johnston pitched a scoreless ninth.

Travelers' starter Marco Albano (2-5) got only his second win of the year, allowing three hits in six scoreless innings.

The Drillers and Travelers will continue their series at 6:05PM Sunday night at Drillers Stadium. The matchup will feature Samuel Deduno (10-2, 2.36 ERA) for Tulsa against Tommy Mendoza (7-6, 3.36 ERA) of Arkansas.

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Texas League Stories from August 1, 2009


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