Drillers Fall in Wichita in Rare Monday Game
July 1, 2024 - Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
WICHITA, KS - The Tulsa Drillers played a rare Monday night game to begin an abnormal week to accommodate the July 4th holiday. The Monday game for the Drillers began a six-game series against the Wichita Wind Surge, with the first three games being played at Wichita's Riverfront Stadium. The Drillers fell 12-5 in the opener as they were hurt by four errors in the loss.
The win for Wichita gave the Surge a 7-6 advantage in this season's Coors Light Propeller Series.
Wichita scored its first run of the night in the first inning. With a runner at first base, Jeferson Morales doubled home Jake Rucker. Morales advanced to third base on a throwing error during the play, which proved important as he scored on a balk from Tulsa pitcher Hyun-il Choi.
The Drillers put a run on the board in the second inning when Yeiner Fernandez hit a sacrifice fly that scored Brendon Davis.
Wichita increased its lead to 4-1 in the third inning when former OSU Cowboy Carson McCusker drove in two runs with a ground-rule double.
The score remained the same over the next two innings before the Wind Surge added two more in the sixth inning on a groundout from Ben Ross and a single by Luke Keaschall.
Wichita batted around in the eighth inning and scored six runs, aided by two errors to raise the score to 12-1.
In the ninth, Tulsa hitters drew four walks, earned two hits, and added a sacrifice fly to score four runs and close the scoring.
INSIDE THE GAME
*The Drillers have been out hit 24-11 in the past two games.
*The four errors matched a season high. The six-run eighth inning from Wichita also matched a season-high allowed by Tulsa pitchers in an inning.
*Choi's start was his first since June 21 as he was activated from the Injured List on Monday. The South Korea native was charged with the loss after completing four innings and giving up four runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out five Wind Surge hitters, and only three runs allowed by Choi were earned.
*Juan Morillo and Jake Pilarski were the only Tulsa pitchers not to be charged with a run in the loss.
*The two runs in the first inning were the 60th and 61st runs allowed by Tulsa in the first inning this season. The 61 runs are the most allowed by any team in Double A.
*Damon Keith earned three hits in the game to extend his hitting streak to seven straight games.
*Davis finished with two walks to extend his on-base streak to 14 consecutive games.
UP NEXT:
The Drillers will continue their brief three-game series in Wichita with game two against the Wind Surge on Tuesday night at Riverfront Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
TUL - RHP Jerming Rosario (1-0, 2.45 ERA)
WCH - RHP Andrew Morris (3-1, 1.41 ERA)
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Texas League Stories from July 1, 2024
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