Drillers Fall in Final Matchup of Propeller Series
TL Tulsa Drillers

Drillers Fall in Final Matchup of Propeller Series

Published on September 7, 2025 under Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release


Chris Newell of the Tulsa Drillers
Chris Newell of the Tulsa Drillers
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Lexi Ashcraft)

Wichita, KS - The Coors Light Propeller Series was decided in the Tulsa Drillers final regular-season, road game Sunday afternoon. The final game between Tulsa and the Wichita Wind Surge was as even as the series was all season, as each team rallied from deficits. Unfortunately, after the Drillers responded to score eight runs in the final three innings to tie the game, the Wind Surge delivered the final blow in the bottom of the ninth when Ben Ross' walk-off home run defeated Tulsa 12-11 at Equity Bank Park.

The Propeller Trophy was going to the winner of Sunday's game. It was the final meeting between the two teams, and since the tiebreaker calls for the winner of the final game to win the trophy, it was the deciding game despite the season series ending in a 12-12 tie.

It was not all bad news for the Drillers. Despite the series-finale loss, the Drillers are in the same position they were when the series began as it relates to the Texas League playoffs. With a 3-3 split of the six-game series, Tulsa still leads Wichita by two games for the final playoff spot from the TL's North Division. The Drillers magic number to clinch the final playoff spot is five.

In the finale, Tulsa put a run on the board in the first inning for the third straight game. A fielding error set up Chris Newell for a double that scored Kole Myers.

James Tibbs III gave the Drillers a 3-0 lead in the third when he hit his second two-run homer in as many games. It was his fifth home run hit with Tulsa.

The Wind Surge mounted a comeback to take the lead in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs on Hendry Mendez's RBI single and Andrew Cosetti's three-run homer.

After Wichita took the lead, Tulsa starting pitcher Patrick Copen pitched one more inning before his afternoon ended. Copen finished after four innings pitched and four runs allowed on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

In the fifth, the Wind Surge added three more runs on Mendez's RBI triple, a balk and Maddux Houghton's RBI single that increased the lead to 7-3.

The Drillers brought the score back within two runs in the seventh. They had runners at first and third base when a disengagement violation resulted in a balk that allowed Zach Ehrhard to score. After the violation, Wichita pitcher John Stankiewicz threw two wild pitches, which allowed Myers to advance two bases and score to pull Tulsa to within 7-5.

Wichita separated the score again by adding five runs in the seventh, using a two-run homer from Cossetti, an RBI double and an RBI single.

The Drillers battled back in the eighth. They used a hit batter, three walks, an RBI single and a two-run triple to score five runs to bring the score back within a run at 11-10.

Tulsa benefited from two more wild pitches in the ninth inning that allowed Taylor Young to score and tie the game at 11-11.

After pitching a scoreless eighth inning, Tulsa reliever Carson Hobbs returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth, and on the first pitch of the inning, Ross hit the winning home run.

INSIDE THE GAME

*It marks the second time Wichita has won the Propeller Series, with the first time coming in the inaugural Propeller Series in 2021. The 2021 series also finished in a tie with Wichita winning the final game. The loss also snapped the Drillers streak of three straight Propeller Series victories.

*Hobbs was charged with the loss, dropping his record to 3-2.

*Three of four runs allowed by Tulsa in the bottom of the seventh were charged to Christian Suarez. It was the first earned runs the lefthander has allowed since July 6, covering 27.0+ innings pitched.

*Tibbs III recorded four RBI on Sunday and nine total in the series with Wichita to lead the Drillers. Ehrhard was a close second with eight runs driven in.

UP NEXT

The Drillers will return to ONEOK Field on Tuesday to begin the final six-game series of the regular season and continue their pursuit of a postseason berth. They will face the Arkansas Travelers in the season-ending series with first pitch for the series opener scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The starting pitchers are slated to be:

Arkansas- SHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (1-0, 3.80 ERA)

Tulsa- TBA

Check out the Tulsa Drillers Statistics

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Images from this story

Chris Newell of the Tulsa Drillers
Chris Newell of the Tulsa Drillers
(Lexi Ashcraft)		   



Texas League Stories from September 7, 2025


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