Drillers Win Slugfest in Ninth
June 13, 2011 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release
SPRINGDALE, AR - Drillers' backup catcher Lars Davis took Naturals' closer Patrick Keating downtown for a three run shot in the top of the ninth inning, helping the Tulsa Drillers comeback for a 9-7 victory over the Naturals on Monday evening at Arvest Ballpark.
With one out and runners on the corners Davis took a curveball from Keating (2-3) and cleared the wall in left-center field, sending Keating and the Naturals (29-30) to the loss and Keating his fifth blown save of the season. With the Travelers victory over Springfield earlier, that puts Northwest Arkansas two games out of first place.
Tulsa (31-31) got the early lead, plating two in the first. Ben Paulsen hit a two-out single and moved to third on a double by Scott Beerer. After Bronson Sardinha walked to load the bases, James Cesario ripped a single up the middle scoring both runners to hand the Drillers a 2-0 lead.
The lead would be short lived as the Naturals would go on to score five unanswered, including four in the bottom of the first. Derrick Robinson singled to lead off and swiped second with one out. Wil Myers grounded to second and reached when Drillers' second baseman Thomas Field's throw went wild of the bag at first, allowing Robinson to score from second. Anthony Seratelli followed with an RBI triple and he came in on an ensuing run-scoring single from Tim Smith that put the Naturals up 3-2.
Smith swiped second base, and, after Tulsa starter Rob Scahill got Salvador Perez to popout, Jeff Bianchi singled home Smith for a 4-2 lead. The Naturals added another run in the third on an RBI double from the scalding hot Smith, which stretched the lead to 5-2.
Willy Lebron was making a spot start for the Naturals and settled down after the first, holding the Drillers scoreless in the second and third. But Lebron was unable to make it through the fourth, as Brian Rike led off the inning with a walk and then advanced to third on a Tim Wheeler single. Thomas Field then laced a double into the right field gap to score Rike.
Heath Rollins was then summoned from the Naturals' pen, and was unable to hold off further scoring. Ben Paulsen's ensuing RBI groundout scored Wheeler and moved Field up to third. Beerer would crush his second double of the game off the center field wall to bring the Drillers back even with the Naturals at 5-5. Wil Myers hit his third homer of the season, a solo shot to deep left-center in the bottom of the fourth which gave the Naturals the lead back.
Those runs were all charged to Scahill, who lasted 5 1/3, allowing nine hits and the six runs (four earned). He walked three and fanned three. But the Drillers, despite a pair of errors, helped him out somewhat defensively, turning a double play in the third to help get out of a two-on, one-out situation, and getting a double play ball on a grounder from Christian Colon in the sixth right after Scahill departed to end another potential scoring opportunity for the Naturals.
The teams traded runs in the seventh. Sardinha's sacrifice fly scored Beerer to tie the game in the top of the seventh for Tulsa, and the Naturals reclaimed that lead when Tim Smith homered onto the outfield berm in the bottom of the seventh.
That gave the Naturals a 7-6 lead, which held up until the ninth, when Keating allowed back-to-back singles to Sardinha and Cesario with one out.
The Naturals were able to attempt a rally in the ninth. Derrick Robinson walked and Christian Colon followed with a single to put two on with nobody out. After Wil Myers successfully bunted the runners up 90 feet to put the tying run in scoring position, Joey Williamson, called upon for the save opportunity, got Seratelli to pop out and Nick Van Stratten, who came into the game as a defensive replacement for Smith, to flyout to end the game.
That made a winner of Sean Jarrett (3-0), who pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief of Scahill, allowing only the longball to Smith.
Right-hander Zach Miner (1-2, 5.82) will start for the Naturals on Tuesday evening as Northwest Arkansas looks to get back on the winning side. He'll face Drillers' right-hander Josh Sullivan (2-3, 5.51). Game time is 7 P.M. and it can be heard live on ESPN 92.1 The Ticket.
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Texas League Stories from June 13, 2011
- Drillers Win Slugfest in Ninth - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Late Inning Heroics Seal Drillers Win - Tulsa Drillers
- Hooks Fall To Missions In Game Two - San Antonio Missions
- Travs Three Games Over .500 with Win - Arkansas Travelers
- Cardinals Fall to Travelers 7-3 - Springfield Cardinals
- Bianucci, Roughriders Slam Midland 13-6 - Frisco RoughRiders
- Game Notes, June 13 - Corpus Christi at San Antonio - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Mount on DL Again - Arkansas Travelers
- 8 Drillers Named Texas League All-Stars - Tulsa Drillers
- Travs Lead All-Star Team - Arkansas Travelers
- Seratelli, Perez Voted in as All-Stars - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- 2011 Texas League All-Star Team Announced - Springfield Cardinals
- Hooks Home for a Dozen - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Four Hooks Voted to South All-Star Squad - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Belnome Earns Player Of The Week Honors - San Antonio Missions
- Texas League All-Star Rosters Announced - San Antonio Missions
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