TL1 Tulsa Drillers

Drillers Snap Losing Skid

Published on August 27, 2015 under Texas League (TL1)
Tulsa Drillers News Release


Facing a team on a seven-game winning streak in the Arkansas Travelers while riding a six-game losing streak of their own, the Tulsa Drillers could have easily thrown in the towel. But the Drillers kept their second-half playoff hopes alive as they roared back behind a strong start from Eric Stults before six different Tulsa relievers combined for the final six outs as the Drillers defeated the Travs 3-1.

With the victory, the Drillers moved to within 5 games of first-place Arkansas.

As they did in Wednesday night's contest, the Travs wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Ruben Sosa led off the home half of the first inning with a double before moving to third on a sacrifice bunt. Chad Hinshaw followed with a RBI single to put Arkansas in front 1-0.

Stults locked down the Arkansas hitters after that however, as he retired 9 of the next 10 batters he faced. Meanwhile, his teammates knotted things up in the fourth.

After being limited to just one hit the first time through the lineup, the Tulsa offense went to work its second time facing Arkansas starter Kyle McGowin.

Ronald Torreyes led off the fourth with a single and quickly scampered to third on a base hit by Peter Lavin. When the throw from the right fielder went to third, Lavin alertly advanced to second base. McGowin's next pitch grazed Lars Anderson's leg to load the bases with no one out. Brandon Dixon then struck out swinging, but Kyle Farmer tied things up with a deep fly to left to bring Torreyes home with the tying run.

Arkansas mounted a strong threat in the fifth after being held without a hit since the first inning. Two straight knocks to begin the frame put runners on the corners with no one out. But the Travs' hopes for a big inning were quickly extinguished.

Stults recorded the first out of the inning on a bunt groundout that put men on second and third with one out. He then got the key second out via a huge strikeout of Anthony Bemboom before Sherman Johnson was tagged out in a rundown between third and home after he tried to score on a pitch in the dirt.

Following outstanding performances from Julio Urias and Ross Stripling the previous two nights, Stults picked up where they left off as he went seven innings, allowing just the single run. The veteran southpaw scattered five hits while striking out six Arkansas hitters to earn his fourth win of the year after Anderson put the Drillers ahead in the sixth inning.

Anderson stepped up to the plate against McGowin with two outs in the sixth and calmly launched his 14th home run of the year to give Tulsa its first lead of the series.

The final two innings tested the Driller bullpen as it took three Tulsa relievers to record the final six outs.

Jairo Heredia began the eighth inning by retiring two of the three batters he faced before being relieved by lefthander Ryan Dennick to face lefty swinging Blake Gailen. With a man on second and two outs, Dennick walked Gailen to put the potential tying and winning runs on base. Razor Shines went to his pen again, summoning Matt West to put out the fire. West rewarded his manager's faith as he got Hinshaw to pop out to first to preserve the Tulsa lead.

The Drillers added a valuable insurance run in the ninth inning with some two-out hitting. After seeing his first two teammates sent back to the dugout to begin the final inning, Farmer kept the inning alive with a ground-rule double on a fly ball to right. Brandon Trinkwon brought him home with a clutch, two-out, RBI single into center to put the Drillers up 3-1.

Shines continued to play the matchup game with his bullpen in the bottom of the ninth. Caleb Dirks began the final frame with a strikeout before being relieved by southpaw Ramon Benjamin to face the next two left-handed hitting Arkansas batters.

Benjamin struck out the first and walked the second, prompting one more Tulsa pitching change as Ralston Cash came on to face the potential tying run at the plate. Cash got pinch-hitter Wade Hinkle to ground out to second as the Drillers held on to win 3-1, breaking their six-game losing streak in the process.

The Travs and Drillers will wrap up their four-game set Friday night as Tulsa aims for a series split. The club will have Jose De Leon (2-6, 4.01 ERA) on the hill while Arkansas will send out Albert Suarez (9-9, 3.13 ERA.) The game is scheduled to begin at 7:10PM.

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Texas League Stories from August 27, 2015


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