Drillers Let Lead Slip Away in Loss to Travelers
July 11, 2025 - Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Tulsa Drillers second baseman Taylor Young
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Lexi Ashcraft)
North Little Rock, AR - Thursday night against the Arkansas Travelers, the Tulsa Drillers were in position to accomplish something they had not done in four years, win two straight games at North Little Rock's Dickey-Stephens Park. The Drillers jumped to an early lead that eventually increased to four runs, but things unraveled late. The Travelers rallied with six straight runs and claimed a 7-5 victory.
The Drillers have not won two straight games in North Little Rock since the 2021 season. They have just a 6-21 record at Dickey-Stephens over the last four years.
For the fourth straight game on their current nine-game road trip, the Drillers took an early lead by scoring in the top of the first inning. Three straight singles from the game's first three batters, Taylor Young, Yeiner Fernandez and Kyle Nevin, produced the first run. A sacrifice fly by Kendall Simmons later in the inning plated the second run to give Tulsa a quick 2-0 lead.
The Drillers doubled the margin in the second inning. Sean McLain led off with a base hit and scored on a one-out double from Young. A two-out single from Nevin plated Young to increase the lead to 4-0.
An unearned run in the bottom of the second put the Travelers on the scoreboard.
The game remained 4-1 until the sixth inning. In the top half of the frame, Nevin drew a bases-loaded walk to restore Tulsa's four-run lead, but it disappeared in the bottom of the sixth.
Drillers starting pitcher Chris Campos had limited Arkansas to just four hits and one run through the first five innings, and he retired the first two batters in the sixth before Lazaro Montes hit his second home run of the series to account for the Travelers second run.
Jared Sundstrom followed Montes with a double, and Nick Raposo drew a walk. On the next pitch from Campos, Josh Hood hit a three-run homer to erase Tulsa's lead and tie the game at 5-5.
The Tulsa bullpen helped the Travelers to complete their comeback victory in the bottom of the seventh. Livan Reinoso came on for Campos and promptly walked the first batter he faced to put the potential go-ahead run on base. After a wild pitch and a ground out, another walk ended Reinoso's night.
With runners at first and second, Brandon Neeck came on and threw two wild pitches to give the Travelers the lead. Neeck eventually also walked the first batter he faced before the first hit of the inning, an infield single from Sundstrom, gave the Travs a second run that increased their lead to 7-5.
A two-out error in the top of the ninth gave the Drillers a chance, but McLain's sharp liner was tracked down by right fielder Montes to end the game.
INSIDE THE GAME
*In the loss, Tulsa's Griffin Lockwood-Powell was 0-5, ending his on-base streak at 36 straight games. It is tied for the second-longest on-base streak for a Tulsa batter in at least the last 17 years and just nine games short of the Tulsa record of 45 straight games set by Carlos Pena in 2000. It is the first time since April 19 that Lockwood-Powell has not reached base in a game.
*It was not all bad news for the Drillers. Young finished with three hits and extended his hitting streak to 12 straight games, the longest hitting streak by a Drillers player this season.
*It was a tough night for the Drillers bullpen. In two innings of work, three relievers combined for four walks, a hit batter and four wild pitches.
*Tulsa pitchers have now walked the first batter of an inning 102 times, the most leadoff walks by any Double-A team in Minor League Baseball.
*Nevin finished 2-4 with a walk, three runs batted in and a pair of nice catches in the outfield. He now has nine RBI with the Drillers despite having plate appearances in just five games.
*Tulsa lost despite out-hitting Arkansas 15-9.
*Simmons and McLain joined Young with three hits.
*The start of the game was delayed 30 minutes due to rain showers in the area
UP NEXT
The Drillers and Travelers will continue their series on Friday night at Dickey-Stephens Park. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are scheduled to be:
Tulsa - RHP Patrick Copen (0-1, 2.22 ERA)
Arkansas - RHP Dylan File (4-2, 4.93 ERA)
Images from this story
 Tulsa Drillers second baseman Taylor Young (Lexi Ashcraft) |
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