Big, Late Rally Beats Drillers in 2025 Opener
TL Tulsa Drillers

Big, Late Rally Beats Drillers in 2025 Opener

Published on April 4, 2025 under Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release


Tulsa, OK - Home openers at ONEOK Field have not always gone well for the Tulsa Drillers, and Friday's 2025 opener can be added to the list. The Drillers carried an 11-2 lead into the eighth inning, but Northwest Arkansas scored a near-record ten runs in the top of the eighth to rally for an improbable 12-11 win.

The defeat dropped the Drillers record in home openers at ONEOK Field to 6-9. They are just 1-5 in their last six openers.

The big rally overshadowed a four home-run game for Tulsa.

The Naturals took an early lead in the contest, scoring the season's first run after only seven pitches. A double and a single put runners at the corners, and highly-touted prospect Jac Caglianone delivered a sacrifice fly to open the scoring.

The Drillers wasted no time in delivering a response, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Taylor Young popped out to open the inning, Chris Newell and Aaron Bracho belted back-to-back homers for the first two runs. A two-out, two-run double from John Rhodes later in the first gave the Drillers a 4-1 lead.

Tulsa added two more runs in the second inning before the home run display resumed in the fifth. Jose Ramos, who tied for the Drillers team lead with 17 homers last season, produced his first of 2025 with an opposite-field drive that landed on the right field concourse, just inside the foul pole.

A wild pitch gave the Drillers their eighth run in the sixth.

After Ramos doubled in the seventh, Griffin Lockwood-Powell joined the home run parade with a two-run shot that gave Tulsa a 10-2 cushion.

Later in the seventh, Ezequiel Pagán tripled and scored for the Drillers' eleventh run.

Seemingly headed to an easy win, things unraveled for Tulsa in the Naturals' eventful ten-run inning in the top of the eighth.

The inning began when Connor Scott greeted Tulsa reliever Jose Rodriguez with a lined single to right. The hit skipped by right fielder and rolled to the fence. As Scott raced to third, second baseman Bracho's throw to third was wild and allowed Scott to jog home with the help of the two errors.

Two more runs scored before a two-run homer from Brett Squires cut the lead to 11-7.

Kelvin Bautista replaced Rodriguez and the first five batters he faced reached safely. With the lead down to 11-9 and the bases loaded, Carter Jensen hit a ground ball to Young at third. Young elected to throw to first instead of trying for a force at third, and his throw was low and rolled away from first baseman John Rhodes. Two runs scored on the hit and error, tying the score.

A throwing error on Bracho plated the tenth run of the inning and gave the Naturals the 12-11 lead.

The Drillers were retired in order in the eighth and ninth innings to close out the defeat.

INSIDE THE GAME

*The ten runs from the Naturals in the eighth were one short of the ONEOK Field record for most runs in an inning. Arkansas scored 11 runs, also in the eighth, in its 23-7 win over the Drillers on August 4, 2022.

*The four home runs matched a season high for last year's Drillers team. Twice, the Drillers hit four in a game last season.

*Tulsa starting pitcher Jackson Ferris worked 4.1 innings and was charged with two runs allowed on six hits. The lefthander struck out seven.

*Caglianone's one hit in the game was an opposite-field single to left that had an exit velocity of 110 m.p.h.

*Despite Tulsa committing four errors in the game, 10 of the Naturals' 12 runs were earned.

*When Tulsa was retired in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Minor League Baseball Win Probability tool gave them a 99.9% probability of winning the game.

UP NEXT:

The Drillers and Naturals will play the second of their three-game, season-opening series on Saturday night. Starting time at ONEOK Field is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the starting pitchers are slated to be:

NW Arkansas - RHP Ethan Bosacker (Season Debut)

Tulsa - RHP Jared Karros (Season Debut)

Check out the Tulsa Drillers Statistics

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Texas League Stories from April 4, 2025


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