Drillers Bounce Back with Extra-Innings Win
May 28, 2025 - Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Yeiner Fernandez scores a run for the Tulsa Drillers
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Ed Bailey)
Wichita, KS - Wednesday afternoon's game between the Tulsa Drillers and Wichita Wind Surge had a vastly different result than Tuesday's series opener. The Drillers quickly took a 6-0 lead through the first three and a half innings before the Wind Surge rallied for seven runs in the bottom of the fourth. After the Drillers tied the game in the fifth, the game remained scoreless until Sean McLain drove in the go-ahead run, and what proved to be the winning run, in the top of the tenth inning to send Tulsa to a 10-7 win at Equity Bank Park.
After being shutout in Tuesday's series opener, the Drillers immediately broke their 15-inning scoreless streak in the first inning on Wednesday. Ezequiel Pagan began the afternoon with a double and scored one batter later on Yeiner Fernandez's single. Fernandez eventually scored on John Rhodes' sacrifice fly to put Tulsa ahead 2-0.
Pagan saw a similar result to leadoff the third inning as he doubled and scored on Chris Newell's sacrifice fly.
Tulsa produced another three runs in the fourth on singles from Kole Myers, Nick Biddison and Sean McLain to increase the lead to 6-0.
The Drillers big lead was quickly erased by the Wind Surge in the fourth inning. After a leadoff strikeout, Wichita hit three straight doubles to score two runs. Jake Rucker drove in the inning's third run with his single.
Kelvin Ramirez entered the game for starting pitcher Peter Heubeck with two outs in the fourth and hit and walked the first batters he faced to force in a run. Rubel Cespedes followed with a base hit that scored two more runs. Cespedes was caught in a rundown on the play, which allowed another run to score that gave Wichita a 7-6 lead.
The Wind Surge's lead did not last long, as Rhodes tied the game in the fifth inning with his solo home run.
Neither team was able to work a run across in the final four innings of regulation as Tulsa entered extra innings for the eighth time this season.
In the tenth, Biddison began with an infield single to put two runners on base for the Drillers. McLain followed with his single to drive in the go-ahead run. Fernandez drove in two more insurance runs on his single to give Tulsa a 10-7 lead.
After recording the final two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Antonio Knowles retired the side in order in the tenth to record his first win of the season.
INSIDE THE GAME
*McLain's go-ahead single was his second hit of the afternoon. He is now batting .256 in May and has raised his season batting average by 98 points since April.
*The win gave the Drillers another win in the Coors Light Propeller Series to bring the season series to 5-3. It was also the Drillers fifth extra-innings win of 2025.
*Rhode's home run was his fourth of the season and his first since April 11.
*Heubeck was nearly unhittable through the first three innings before he ran into trouble in the fourth. He was charged with five runs on six hits and two walks. Before Wichita's big fourth inning, he had given up just two hits and had not issued a walk.
*Damon Keith earned two hits to earn his 13th multi-hit game of the season, which leads the Drillers.
*All nine Tulsa hitters reached base in the game, with seven earning a hit.
*Jerming Rosario tossed 1.2 scoreless innings on Wednesday. Since being moved to the bullpen, Rosario has allowed only two earned runs in 7.2 innings for a 2.37 ERA.
UP NEXT
The Drillers and Wind Surge will continue their six-game series with game three on Thursday night at Equity Bank Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are slated to be:
TUL - LHP Jackson Ferris (2-3, 5.45 ERA)
WCH - RHP Darren Bowen (2-0, 2.73 ERA)
Images from this story
 Yeiner Fernandez scores a run for the Tulsa Drillers (Ed Bailey) |
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