Chacin, Drillers End Trip With Win
April 14, 2009 - Texas League (TL1)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
A long-held belief in baseball is that successful teams play .500 while on the road. The Tulsa Drillers can say "mission accomplished" following the conclusion of their season-opening, six-game road trip. The Drillers held on for a 5-4 win over the San Antonio Missions Tuesday afternoon, giving them two consecutive wins and a 3-3 record on their initial trip of the 2009 season.
The squad will now travel back to Tulsa to open the home portion of its schedule Thursday night by hosting the Corpus Christi Hooks at Drillers Stadium. The Drillers first homestand will consist of three games versus the Hooks, followed by another three games against the Missions.
Tuesday's victory allowed Jhouyls Chacin, the top pitching prospect in the Colorado Rockies minor league system, to gain the first Double A victory of his career. The 21-year-old retired the first nine San Antonio hitters of the game before Luis Durango singled to open the fourth inning.
Chacin eventually allowed three hits and two runs in five innings of work in picking up the win.
The Drillers opened the game's scoring when Cole Garner led off the top of the second with his second triple in as many games. Daniel Mayora followed with a sacrifice fly that brought Garner home with the first run of the day.
Tulsa doubled its lead in the fourth inning as Jeff Kindel singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Rex Rundgren.
The margin grew to 3-0 in the fifth when Daniel Carte was hit by a pitch with two outs. He then raced home on a double by Kindel.
The Missions got on the board against Chacin in the bottom of the fifth. Mike Baxter led off with a base hit, and Craig Cooper followed with a drive onto the grass berm behind the left field wall at Wolfe Stadium for his first homer of the season.
The Drillers restored their three-run lead in the seventh on a two-run single by Garner.
The Tulsa bullpen made sure the lead held as Jonathan George worked two scoreless innings, and Adam Bright pitched a 1-2-3 eighth.
However, the win did not come without some anxious moments in the bottom of the ninth. Shane Lindsay walked the first three batters he faced to load the bases with no outs. The Drillers caught a break went Baxter lined out to second, and Mayora was able to double Jesus Lopez off second base.
The Missions hopes stayed alive when Cooper singled home two runs to cut the Tulsa lead to 5-4. After a wild pitch moved the tying run into scoring position, Lindsay struck out Seth Johnston to end the game and earn his first save of the year.
Offensively, Kindel continued his hot start by going 2-3, raising his average to .409. Mayora was 1-2 and increased his early season average to .444.
The Drillers will send Samuel Deduno (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound for Thursday's home opener, while the Hooks will counter with Polin Trinidad (0-1, 6.00). First pitch for the final home opener at Drillers Stadium is scheduled for 7:05PM.
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Texas League Stories from April 14, 2009
- Gentry & Vallejo Lead Frisco To Series Win - Arkansas Travelers
- Riders Defeat Travs, Take Series - Frisco RoughRiders
- Perez, Locke, Sutil Stick Naturals - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Hooks avoid Naturals sweep - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Chacin, Drillers End Trip With Win - Tulsa Drillers
- RoughRiders Partner with TXA 21 for 11 Game Broadcasts - Frisco RoughRiders
- Cards Rally in 8th for 8-7 Win - Springfield Cardinals
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