TL1 Springfield Cardinals

Drillers Claim Tuesday Night Contest to Start Second Half

Published on June 24, 2015 under Texas League (TL1)
Springfield Cardinals News Release


Springfield, MO - An even 2-2 ballgame through seven innings, the Tulsa Drillers struck with seven runs in the eighth en route to the 10-2 win to start the Second Half against the Springfield Cardinals before 3,908 fans at Hammons Field on Tuesday night.

The Drillers (1-0, 31-39) swung into the early lead in the top of the first against RHP Andrew Morales and the Cardinals (0-1, 30-41). SS Ronald Torreyes and LF Brian Burgamy started the stanza with consecutive singles to put two men on. Morales dug in and retired the next two, but C Kyle Farmer pulled an RBI double down the left field line, plating Torreyes from second base. Burgamy also tried to score on the play, but All-Star LF Nick Martini fired a bullet to the cut-off man, SS Aledmys Diaz, who then threw out Burgamy at the plate, ending the inning with the Drillers only ahead, 1-0.

Morales settled in after the first, keeping the Drillers at only one run while retiring eight of his next nine batters. However, Tulsa doubled the lead in the top of the fourth with a two-out solo home run from 3B Jarek Cunningham, making it 2-0 before Morales quickly ended the frame with a fly out.

Morales came right back with a scoreless top of the fifth, before exiting with two on and two outs in the top of the sixth. With runners at second and third, RHP Kevin Herget (L, 0-1) came in and quickly induced the inning-ending groundout to second base, keeping it just a 2-0 deficit for Springfield through 5.5 innings.

The Cardinals then broke through in the bottom of the sixth against RHP Jeremy Kehrt, after Kehrt had kept them in check through his first five frames. With one away in the bottom of the sixth, Herget got on with his first-career hit to spark the rally. Tilson then laid down a sacrifice bunt that was fielded by Kehrt, who misfired the throw past first base, enabling Herget to get all the way to third with Tilson safe on the play and into second base. With All-Star RF Jeremy Hazelbaker at the plate, Kehrt then uncorked a wild pitch that bounced away from C Kyle Farmer, allowing Herget to race home the final ninety feet for the Cardinals first run. Hazelbaker quickly tied it with a screaming RBI single to left field, scoring Tilson to square the score at 2-2.

Herget kept it even through the scoreless seventh, but Tulsa put together a seven-run rally in the top of the eighth inning. A double, a single and a walk loaded the bases with no outs, leading to RHP Kyle Barraclough taking over on the mound. However, CF Peter Lavin came through with the go-ahead RBI single through the left side, lifting the Drillers into the 3-2 lead. After a two-run double by 2B Nate Samson, Barraclough retired the inning's first out with a pop out. SS Ronald Torreyes, though, was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, before a two-run single from Burgamy. Torreyes then came home on an RBI sacrifice fly by RF Yadir Drake, scoring the sixth run of the inning and bringing in RHP Jordan Swagerty. Burgamy would end up scoring the final run of the rally on a wild pitch, increasing the Drillers lead to 9-2.

After adding a 10th run on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning, Tulsa RHP Jose De Leon logged a scoreless bottom of the ninth to close the 10-2 win for the Drillers. Tulsa LHP Chris Reed (W, 2-2) registered the win with one scoreless inning of relief work in the seventh.

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Texas League Stories from June 24, 2015


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