Drillers Continue Playoff Push with Big Win over Naturals
TL Tulsa Drillers

Drillers Continue Playoff Push with Big Win over Naturals

Published on August 22, 2025 under Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release


Tulsa Drillers pitcher Patrick Copen
Tulsa Drillers pitcher Patrick Copen
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Braeden Botts)

Springdale, AR - The Tulsa Drillers have won over 60 percent of their games this season when scoring five or more runs. That winning trend continued on Thursday night as the Drillers totaled 10 runs on 11 hits and 12 walks and posted a 10-0 shutout victory over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Arvest Ballpark.

The big offensive night was complemented by a stellar start on the mound from Patrick Copen. The West Virginia native picked up his first Double-A win by pitching 5.2 scoreless innings to help lead the Drillers to their tenth shutout victory of the year.

Tulsa also gained ground in the Texas League North Division second-half playoff race with the win. The Drillers are now one game back of first-place Springfield as the Cardinals fell to Arkansas on Thursday. The win also increased Tulsa's lead to five games over the Naturals, who are tied with Arkansas and Wichita for third place in the second half.

The Drillers can gain a playoff berth by winning the second-half division title or by finishing in second place to the Cardinals, who won the first half.

Tulsa gave Copen an early lead by scoring in the first inning. Zach Ehrhard began the game with a single and scored with two outs when Chris Newell tripled to right field.

The Drillers added three more runs by recording five singles in the fourth inning with Kole Myers, Eduardo Guerrero and Ehrhard each driving in a run.

Tulsa scored again in the fifth when Griffin Lockwood-Powell led off the inning with a walk. After he had advanced to second base on a wild pitch, he scored on Taylor Young's single, upping the Drillers lead to 5-0.

Another three runs scored in the seventh thanks to four walks and James Tibbs III's two-RBI single, increasing the margin to eight runs.

Ehrhard drove in the Drillers final runs of the night with his two-run ninth-inning homer.

INSIDE THE GAME

*Tulsa is 36-14 this season when scoring five or more runs. The Drillers have reached that mark in 10 of their last 15 games.

*Copen improved his Double-A record to 1-3 by holding the Naturals to four hits over 5.2 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. He has now struck out 142 hitters across High-A and Double-A this season, which is tied for the fourth most in all of Minor League Baseball.

*Jeisson Cabrera and Jorge Benitez also pitched in the game to complete the shutout. Cabrera pitched 2.1 innings following Copen and did not allow a hit while striking out two. Benitez followed by tossing a scoreless ninth with one strikeout.

*Ehrhard filled the boxscore in the win. The Oklahoma State product reached base four times in six plate appearances. He earned three hits, drove in four runs, scored two runs and drew a walk. He also stole two bases and now has 26 steals for the season.

*Newell's first-inning triple increased his on-base streak to 32 straight games. The streak is the second-longest in the Texas League, trailing teammate Lockwood-Powell, who had a 36-game streak earlier this season.

*Guerrero's RBI single in the third inning was his first Double-A hit.

*Young stole his 34th base on Thursday, which is the third most in the Texas League.

*Naturals manager Brooks Conrad was ejected in the seventh inning by home plate umpire Spencer Kim for arguing balls and strikes.

UP NEXT

The Drillers will continue their series in Springdale against the Naturals on Friday night at Arvest Ballpark. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are scheduled to be:

Tulsa - RHP Peter Heubeck (2-5, 4.34 ERA)

NW Arkansas - LHP Hunter Patteson (3-0, 3.14 ERA)

Check out the Tulsa Drillers Statistics

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Images from this story

Tulsa Drillers pitcher Patrick Copen
Tulsa Drillers pitcher Patrick Copen
(Braeden Botts)		   



Texas League Stories from August 22, 2025


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