Drillers Battle Back to Claim Game, Series from Frisco
August 14, 2015 - Texas League (TL1)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
On a night when Julio Urias had to fight through a tough Frisco offense, it was recently activated Nate Samson who led Tulsa in a gritty offensive performance to make up the difference. Samson and the Drillers fought back from being down late to claim the game, and the series, with a 5-4 win Thursday night in Frisco.
Samson, playing in just his seventh game since being activated off the disabled list, led the Drillers offense Thursday as he went 3-5 with a stolen base, two runs scored and a RBI. His efforts helped Tulsa move to within a single game of first place in the North Division after being six games out of the top spot just a week ago.
Brandon Trinkwon also had a strong night as he went 3-3 batting behind Samson to help boost the Drillers in the finale of the three-game set.
Urias battled all night as he finished with a final stat line of five innings pitched and three runs allowed on six hits, three of them for extra bases. On the positive side, Urias struck out six Frisco batters while not issuing a walk.
The Riders scored first Thursday thanks to a lapse in defense by both Kyle Farmer and Urias. After Trever Adams led off the second with a double and ended up scoring without another ball being put in play. A passed ball by Farmer moved Adams to third, and a subsequent wild pitch from Urias brought him home with the first run of the night.
The Drillers tied things up in the top of the third. With Adam Law on third and Lavin on first with one out, Lars Anderson drove a ball deep to left field, allowing Law to score from third and tie the game up 1-1.
Frisco came right back in the bottom of the inning as Lewis Brinson grounded a two-out single to left to score Ryan Cordell from second and put the Riders back on top 2-1.
The see-saw battle continued as the Drillers came roaring back themselves in the fourth inning. Three straight singles to start the frame capped by an RBI single from Erisbel Arruebarrena plated Samson to tie things up 2-2.
Things quieted down until the Riders added one more run off Urias in the fifth. After surrendering a leadoff single, Urias gave up an RBI triple to Luis Mendez as Frisco went back in front. But Urias buckled down from there to limit the damage as he got the dangerous Nomar Mazara to fly out before striking out Brinson to keep the Tulsa deficit at one.
Jacob Rhame relieved Urias to begin the sixth inning and was promptly greeted with a solo blast off the bat of Alex Burg to extend the Riders lead to 4-2.
Caleb Dirks followed Rhame into the game and tossed a scoreless seventh inning to help swing momentum back on the Drillers side.
Samson got in the middle of the action again in the eighth inning as he helped spark the inning with a one-out double that tipped off the left fielder's glove. Trinkwon knocked him in with an RBI single and was then replaced by pinch-runner Robbie Garvey. The move paid off as Garvey moved to second on a groundout by Arruebarrena before coming home to score the tying run on a Jarek Cunningham double.
Ramon Benjamin came on for Dirks in the bottom half of the frame and got the game to the ninth with the score knotted up at 4-4. And then Samson came through yet again.
With two on and two outs in the top of the ninth, Samson delivered his biggest hit of the night with a line drive into left to score Peter Lavin from second and put Tulsa in front for the first time of the night.
Frisco did not go down without a fight however as Ryan Dennick had to get the final out of the ninth with the tying run just 90 feet away. But the Tulsa reliever nailed down the 5-4 Driller win as he got Mazara to fly out to earn his third save of the season.
The Drillers will now travel to Midland to begin a three-game series against the South Division-leading RockHounds. Ross Stripling (2-3, 4.03 ERA) will start the series-opener Friday for Tulsa while Midland will send Jake Sanchez (10-7, 4.66 ERA) to oppose him. The game is set to begin at 7:00PM.
Texas League Stories from August 14, 2015
- Drillers Get Rain-Shortened Victory in Midland - Tulsa Drillers
- Early Onslaught Dooms Hooks - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Naturals Power Past Corpus Christi in Series Opener - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Weekend Highlights: August 14 - August 16 - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- An Omen of Historic Proportions? - Midland RockHounds
- Drillers Battle Back to Claim Game, Series from Frisco - Tulsa Drillers
- Travs Take Finale - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Newcomb Earns First Win as Travs Snap Skid - Arkansas Travelers
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