Big Sixth Inning Enough for 7-3 Win
Published on May 9, 2013 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
Tulsa, Oklahoma - Over 32 games this season the Arkansas Travelers highest scoring inning featured five runs, but on Thursday they scored seven times in the sixth inning en route to a 7-3 victory over the Tulsa Drillers at ONEOK Field before 3,918 fans. Taylor Lindsey's three-run homer (4) highlighted the inning which included seven base hits and two doubles from Matt Long, who finished with a season-high four hits.
Long collected three doubles and a single out of the second spot of the batting order while driving in two runs leading a ten-hit attack. The Travs win locks them with the Drillers with identical 16-17 records, good for second place in the Texas League North Division and evens their series at one win each heading into a rare Friday off-day.
Brandon Hynick (2-2) dealt seven innings for the win against his former club allowing just one run on six hits. After scuffling with command early walking two of the first three Tulsa batters, Hynick walked nobody the rest of his night adding three strikeouts.
For six innings Hynick was matched by Drillers right hander Dan Houston (0-3) who allowed just one runner to third base.
The sixth inning changed everything though. Long started the inning with a line drive past first base for a double. He scored when Robbie Widlansky dunked a single to shallow center that Delta Cleary nearly caught on a sliding attempt. Then Houston mishandled Randal Grichuk's spinning comebacker for an error. Kaleb Cowart hit a rope through shortstop scoring Widlansky while Cowart took second base with a double. Lindsey followed with his drive over the right-field wall for a 5-0 lead. Travis Witherspoon ended Houston's night with a hard single to center, the fifth consecutive Travs batter to reach base.
Parker Frazier was summoned from the home bullpen, but he couldn't stem the rally which continued with a two-out single by Rolando Gomez and Long's third double, a shot into the right-field corner knocking in two more runs for a 7-0 lead.
Houston was charged with six runs (four earned) on seven hits in 5.1 innings.
Tulsa broke up the shutout bid in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Kent Matthes scoring Cleary who had hit a leadoff double. Hynick though got Kyle Parker to bounce into a double play to end the inning.
Mike Piazza replaced Hynick for the eighth inning and allowed Parker's two-run homer (7) in the eighth. Both runs were unearned due to Witherspoon's drop in centerfield allowing Cleary to reach base to start the frame. Piazza closed the game with a shutout ninth inning.
The Travs and Drillers are scheduled for an off day on Friday as ONEOK Field will host a game between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. The series resumes on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Matt Oye (3-2, 5.60) will pitch for the Travelers against Tulsa's Chad Bettis (2-2, 4.06 ERA).
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