Comeback Falls Just Short in Game 1 Playoff Loss for the Drillers
TL Tulsa Drillers

Comeback Falls Just Short in Game 1 Playoff Loss for the Drillers

Published on September 17, 2025 under Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release


Tulsa Drillers third baseman Elijah Hainline applies the tag
Tulsa Drillers third baseman Elijah Hainline applies the tag
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Tim Campbell)

Tulsa, OK - During their successful run to a berth in the postseason in the second half of the season, the Tulsa Drillers staged several comebacks. In game one of the North Division playoff series on Tuesday night at ONEOK Field against Springfield, the Drillers attempted another comeback, but it came up short.

Held scoreless for eight innings, and trailing by three runs, the resilient Drillers made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. They scored their first run and had the bases loaded with two outs before the rally ended on a game-ending strikeout, giving the Cardinals a 3-1 game one victory.

The loss to open the best-of-three series leaves Tulsa with no margin for error. The two teams will have a travel day on Wednesday before resuming the series on Thursday in Springfield. The Drillers will have to win game two on Thursday and repeat the victory on Friday, in what would be the third and final game of the series, in order to advance to the Texas League Championship Series.

In Tuesday's series opener, Springfield, who won a franchise 88 games in the regular season, got an outstanding outing from starting pitcher Ixan Henderson. The Cards scored a run in the top of the first inning to stake Henderson to an early lead, and the southpaw took it from there. Henderson, who is rated as one of the Top 15 prospects in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, worked an efficient six shutout innings.

Lefthander Jackson Ferris started for Tulsa on the mound and retired the game's leadoff batter before giving up an opposite-field double to Chase Davis. Joshua Baez followed with a base hit that brought Davis home to give the Redbirds a 1-0 lead.

Springfield's second and third runs scored in the top of the fourth. Zach Levenson drew a one-out walk and scored on a double by former University of Oklahoma infielder Dakota Harris. Harris scored to make it 3-0 on a two-out single from Jon Jon Gazdar.

Offensively, it was a frustrating night for the Drillers through the first eight innings. Facing Henderson for the fourth time this year, Tulsa hitters produced a number of good swings but had little to show for their efforts.

Twenty-year-old outfielder Zyhir Hope picked up Tulsa's first hit off Henderson when he doubled into the left field corner with two outs in the bottom of the second. Hope was stranded when Taylor Young grounded out sharply to third to end the inning.

The Drillers had only two more hits against Henderson who did not walk a batter and struck out four in his six shutout innings.

The Drillers had chances to score against the Cards' bullpen in both the seventh and eighth innings. In the bottom of the seventh, Chris Newell greeted reliever Michael Watson with a double off the base of the left field wall. After a one-out walk to Hope, an infield ground out moved the runners to second and third with two outs, but Luis Gastelum came on for Watson retired Sean McLain when Springfield shortstop Jeremy Rivas made a diving catch of his soft liner.

Tulsa put two more runners on base in the eighth when newcomer Elijah Hainline led off with his first Double-A hit, and Zach Ehrhard worked a one-out walk. Gastelum recovered to strike out the number three and four hitters, Newell and James Tibbs III, to end that threat.

The Drillers finally broke through in the bottom of the ninth. Springfield called on Austin Love to close out the game, and he quickly ran into trouble. Yeiner Fernandez singled on the first pitch from Love, and Hope followed with his second double of the game, leaving runners at second and third.

Young followed and flew out, but the sacrifice fly scored Fernandez to trim the lead to 3-1.

Love got a strikeout before walking Hainline and Kole Myers to load the bases and put the potential game-winning runs on base for Ehrhard.

Mason Burns took over for Love and jumped ahead in the count 1-2 before Ehrhard worked the at-bat to a full count. On the 3-2 pitch, Ehrhard swung and missed at a slider to end the comeback attempt.

The Drillers stranded ten runners on base in the game with seven of them coming in the final three innings. They finished 0-1 with runners in scoring position.

INSIDE THE GAME

*Hope, who is rated as the #2 prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system, finished 2-3 with his pair of doubles to lead Tulsa offensively. It was his third straight multi-hit game and he is now 8-22 (.364) in just seven games at the Double-A level.

*Ferris worked four innings and allowed the three runs on seven hits and four walks.

*Tulsa's bullpen was outstanding as three relievers combined to hold the Cards scoreless over the final five innings, allowing just one hit.

*Cam Day pitched two scoreless innings and gave up one walk while striking out two.

*Christian Suarez followed and matched Day with two shutout frames, allowing one hit and one walk with two strikeouts.

*Carson Hobbs worked a scoreless ninth with one strikeout.

*The Drillers made one visit to Hammons Field this season and were swept in a six-game series by the Cardinals. That series was played in June, in the next-to-last week of the first half.

*Midland held off Amarillo's late rally to take game one of the South Division playoff series by a score of 8-7.

UP NEXT

The best-of-three division series will now move to Springfield for Game 2 on Thursday night at Hammons Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. and the pitching matchup will feature:

Tulsa - LHP Luke Fox (1-2, 2.70 ERA)

Springfield- LHP Brycen Mautz (8-3, 2.98 ERA)

Check out the Tulsa Drillers Statistics

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Images from this story

Tulsa Drillers third baseman Elijah Hainline applies the tag
Tulsa Drillers third baseman Elijah Hainline applies the tag
(Tim Campbell)		   



Texas League Stories from September 17, 2025


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