Late Lead Slips Away for Tulsa in 4-3 Loss
July 26, 2016 - Texas League (TL1)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
In what has seemed to become a common theme over the past week, the Tulsa Drillers took yet another early lead Tuesday night only to see it slip away in a 4-3 loss to the Springfield Cardinals. The defeat was the fifth straight for the Drillers, tying their season-long losing streak.
The loss wasted a quality effort turned in by Tulsa starter Scott Barlow who went five innings while allowing just a single run on two hits.
On offense, the Drillers threatened in each of the first two innings as they put a runner at second in each frame before finally breaking through in the third.
Barlow began the inning by working Springfield starter J.C. Sulbaran for a 10-pitch at-bat before finally grounding out to short. But his battle set the tone for the inning as Tim Locastro followed with a crisp base hit into center. Locastro then swiped second while successfully distracting Sulbaran, leading to him issuing a walk to Willie Calhoun. Kyle Farmer, playing in his first game with Tulsa since being activated from the disabled list, then delivered a sharp double into left field to score Locastro and give the Drillers a 1-0 lead.
Farmer would then be doubled off second base on a line-drive double play to end the inning, but the Drillers had drawn first blood.
The Cardinals answered back in the top of the fourth though as they put runners on first and second with two outs following a walk and an error. They would tie the game up as Luis Cruz drove in Paul DeJong from second with an RBI single, but that would be all for Springfield as Alex Verdugo threw Cruz out as he tried to stretch his single into a double.
Tulsa would not let the game remain tied for long as Kyle Garlick led off the bottom of the frame with a triple off the left-center field wall and promptly came home to score on a Cody Bellinger sacrifice fly.
Jacob Scavuzzo then extended the Drillers advantage to 3-1 in the fifth inning as he pinch-hit for Barlow and launched a solo shot over the left field fence. The blast was Scavuzzo's seventh of the season and was the first pinch-hit homer the Drillers have struck this year.
Daniel Corcino came on to pitch the sixth and seventh innings and tossed two scoreless frames before handing the ball off to Jordan Schafer.
Schafer immediately found himself in trouble as the first two Cardinals he faced reached on a single and a walk. Following a mound visit from pitching coach Bill Simas, Schafer recovered to strike out Nick Martini for the first out of the inning.
Veteran reliever Gus Schlosser was then brought in and started well as he struck out Allen Staton to pull Tulsa to within an out of preserving its lead. But Paul DeJong came through for Springfield with an RBI double, scoring both runners to knot the game up yet again at 3-3.
The score would hold there through the rest of the eighth and ninth innings, sending the game to extras.
Facing Tulsa reliever Joe Broussard for his second inning of work in the tenth, the Cardinals pulled ahead for the first time on the night. Two singles scattered around a sacrifice bunt put runners on the corners with one out. Springfield's Staton then made amends for his previous strikeout in the eighth inning by lifting a sacrifice fly into deep right field to put the Cardinals in front 4-3.
The Drillers did their best to rally in the bottom half of the frame, putting runners on second and third with one out. But Springfield would end Tulsa's hopes as Kevin Herget came on to strike out Vinny DiFazio before retiring Jordan Tarsovich on a fly out to center to end the game.
Herget earned his seventh save of the year while Cardinals reliever Ronnie Shaban saw his record improve to 6-2 with two innings of shutout relief. Broussard was saddled with his first loss of the year for Tulsa after surrendering the run in the tenth.
Chase De Jong (10-4, 2.59 ERA) was on the mound the last time the Drillers were in the win column, and he will look to bring an end to Tulsa's losing streak Wednesday night in their series finale with the Cardinals. Springfield will send out Pedro Echemendia (2-0, 3.16 ERA) with first pitch from ONEOK Field scheduled for 7:05 PM.
Texas League Stories from July 26, 2016
- Late Lead Slips Away for Tulsa in 4-3 Loss - Tulsa Drillers
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- Cards Nail Down Series Win with 4-3 Victory in 10 Innings - Springfield Cardinals
- Travs Move into Tie for First with 2-1 Win - Arkansas Travelers
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- Early Offense Can't Hold as Naturals Fall, 2-1 - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
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