Drillers Comeback Falls Short in Corpus Christi
Published on August 5, 2025 under Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Corpus Christi, TX - The Tulsa Drillers opened the second half of a two-week road trip Tuesday night in Corpus Christi, and their ninth-inning rally fell just short. The Drillers spotted the Hooks a six-run lead before staging a late comeback. The comeback trimmed the deficit to two runs, but the Drillers ran out of outs and dropped the series opener to the Hooks 7-5 at Whataburger Field.
The Drillers lost even though they out-hit the Hooks 12-10 in what was the first game of a six-game series between the two teams.
Despite the defeat, the Drillers still have a winning record on the road trip with a 4-3 mark. They have an 18-16 record in the second half of the season.
The opener got off to a good start as the Drillers held a temporary lead when they began the game's scoring in the top of the second inning. Chris Newell and Zach Ehrhard opened the inning with consecutive singles. Newell came home with the game's first run on a ground out from Kyle Nevin.
The 1-0 lead disappeared quickly in the bottom half of the second. Tulsa starting pitcher Jackson Ferris struck out the side in a 1-2-3 first inning, but the first two batters in the second both singled. Following a wild pitch, Trevor Austin bunted for another base hit, and when Ferris' throw to first was wild, both base runners scored.
A two-out double from Jeron Williams later in the second inning plated Austin and upped the Hooks lead to 3-1.
They added a fourth run in the bottom of the third on Wes Clarke's eighth home run of the season.
The home run theme continued into the later innings. In the sixth, a three-run homer by Lucas Spence off Tulsa reliever Jeisson Cabrera extended the Hooks lead to 7-1.
A two-run homer from Kole Myers in top of the seventh began the comeback attempt and pulled Tulsa to within 7-3. It was the fifth home run of the year for Myers.
The Drillers made things uncomfortable for the Hooks in the ninth inning. Sean McLain and Myers opened the ninth with back-to-back singles. With two outs, Newell delivered his third hit of the game to score McLain and cut the deficit to three runs.
When Zach Ehrhard was hit by a pitch, the Drillers had the bases loaded, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate with newcomer James Tibbs III. Reliever Amilcar Chirinos came into the game and walked Tibbs III to force home a run and trim the Hooks lead to just two runs.
Chirinos recovered and got a groundball from Nevin that ended the threat and the game with the Drillers falling two runs short.
Corpus Christi starting pitcher Nic Swanson took advantage of the early run support and held the Drillers to just one run in 5.1 innings while striking out three. Swanson attended high school in Bixby, Oklahoma and pitched collegiately for Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.
INSIDE THE GAME
*Newell finished 3-5 and extended a couple of streaks in the process. The two hits extended his hitting streak to seven straight games. Newell has also reached base safely in 20 straight games.
*Myers, Ehrhard and McLain all had two hits in the game. Myers scored two runs and drove in two. Ehrhard is now 5-11 in three games with the Drillers. For McLain, it was his 16th multi-hit game of the season.
*Ferris was charged with the loss, ending his four-game winning streak. It was his first defeat since June 15. Ferris was charged with four runs in his five-inning start, but only two were earned. He walked one batter and struck out seven. In his last eight starts, Ferris is 4-1 with a 1.43 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 44.0 innings pitched.
*Taylor Young singled and extended his consecutive on-base streak to 14 straight games.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will continue their series in Corpus Christi on Tuesday night at Whataburger Field. Starting time is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
Tulsa - LHP Luke Fox (0-0, 1.35 ERA)
Corpus Christi - RHP Manuel Urias (3-5, 4.04 ERA)
Texas League Stories from August 5, 2025
- McLaughlin, Fernandez Highlight Amarillo Bats in Series Opening Win at Midland - Amarillo Sod Poodles
- Pitching Staff Spins Shutout to Open Series - Arkansas Travelers
- Drillers Comeback Falls Short in Corpus Christi - Tulsa Drillers
- Riders Fall to Travelers 3-0 - Frisco RoughRiders
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