Drillers Walk Off With Fourth Straight Win
April 18, 2025 - Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Tulsa Drillers' Jose Ramos in action
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Rich Crimi)
Tulsa, OK - The Tulsa Drillers used two big swings of the bat on Friday night to earn their fourth straight win over the Wichita Wind Surge at ONEOK Field. The Drillers trailed 6-2 after five innings, but thanks to a grand slam from Jose Ramos and Yeiner Fernandez's game-winning single, they rallied to earn a thrilling 7-6 win.
It was Fernandez's second walk-off hit of the series as he supplied the game-winner in Wednesday's 14-inning victory.
The night began with Wichita scoring three runs in the first inning. Rubel Cespedes hit a one-out single, but the Drillers caught Cespedes in a rundown, which allowed Ricardo Olivar to score the opening run. Kala'i Rosario drove in the following two runs with his home run to right field.
After Rosario's home run, the two teams hit five more homers to account for the next nine runs.
Damon Keith put up the Drillers first run with his first homer of the season in the second inning.
In the fourth, Wichita increased its lead to 6-1 on Aaron Sabato's two-run shot and Tyler Dearden's solo blast.
Ramos added Tulsa's second run in the fifth inning on a solo homer to center field.
Ramos continued his big night with another big swing in the sixth inning. Early in the game, Tulsa's offense struggled against Wichita starting pitcher Aaron Rozek, earning just three hits while striking out eight times through the first five innings.
But in the sixth, Rozek was replaced by Jaylen Nowlin, and the Drillers quickly loaded the bases on a hit batter and two walks. With one swing, Ramos tied the game at 6-6 when he sliced an offering from Nowlin that stayed just inside the right field foul pole for the first grand slam of 2025 by a Drillers batter.
The Tulsa bullpen pitched six scoreless innings to set up the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth. Singles from Taylor Young and Chris Newell set the table for Fernandez who grounded the game-winning hit into left field.
INSIDE THE GAME
*The win upped the Drillers lead in the 2025 Coors Light Propeller Series to 4-0.
*Jeisson Cabrera, Antonio Knowles and Jorge Benitez combined to toss the final six scoreless innings. Benitez was credited with the win, his first of 2025 and his first since May 17, 2024 when he was pitching for Triple-A Worcester.
*John Rhodes extended his hitting streak to nine straight games with a single in the seventh inning.
*Ramos' two home runs were his sixth multi-homer game of his professional career. He finished with three total hits and five RBI.
*The Drillers turned two more double plays to increase their season total to 17, the most in Double A.
*An amazing effort from Bubba Alleyne almost spoiled Rosario's first-inning home run. Alleyne raced after the fly ball and leaped up to make the catch along the four-foot right field wall. The Drillers right fielder temporarily appeared to have the ball in his glove, but his momentum flipped him over the wall and the ball dislodged, giving Rosario the homer.
*Newell's ninth-inning single extended his hitting streak to eight straight games.
*Jared Karros made his third start of 2025 on Friday and struggled in his three innings of work. The #30 ranked prospect in the Dodgers farm system was charged with six hits on eight runs and one walk. He also struck out three batters.
UP NEXT
On Saturday, Tulsa will play the final two games of the six-game series with the Wind Surge with a split doubleheader at ONEOK Field. Separate admissions are required for each game and first pitch for game one is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and game two will begin at 6:00 p.m. The starting pitchers are expected to be:
GAME 1
Wichita - LHP Connor Prielipp (0-1, 7.71 ERA)
Tulsa - RHP Jacob Meador (0-2, 11.05 ERA)
GAME 2
Wichita - RHP Darren Bowen (1-0, 2.00 ERA)
Tulsa - RHP Jerming Rosario (1-1, 3.00 ERA)
Images from this story
 Tulsa Drillers' Jose Ramos in action (Rich Crimi) |
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