Naturals Bats Too Much for Drillers in 8-3 Loss
Published on June 26, 2016 under Texas League (TL1)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Following a game Saturday night where the Tulsa Drillers pitching staff hurled a shutout, the script went the opposite direction Sunday afternoon as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals used an offensive onslaught to defeat the Drillers 8-3 at ONEOK Field.
Every hitter in the Northwest Arkansas lineup recorded at least one hit with five Naturals ending up with a multi-hit game. The duo of Ryan O'Hearn and Frank Schwindel in the heart of the order, along with Jack Lopez and Carlos Diaz at the bottom of the lineup, were particularly troublesome for Tulsa. The quartet of Naturals finished a combined 10-17 with a home run, 4 doubles, 4 RBIs and 6 runs scored.
Overall, Northwest Arkansas finished with 17 hits, marking a new 2016 season-high for the most hits by a Tulsa opponent in a single game.
With the loss, the Drillers finished the homestand with a 4-4 record. They will head into the All-Star Game break with a 4-2 record to start the second half and are 41-34 overall.
The Naturals took an early lead Sunday as O'Hearn and Schwindel hit back-to-back doubles off Tulsa starter Jeremy Kehrt to put the visitors on top 1-0 in the first.
Willie Calhoun almost tied the game in the bottom of the first as he lifted a high fly ball down the right field line, but Northwest Arkansas right fielder Logan Moon made a fantastic, leaping catch at the wall to rob Calhoun of at least a double.
Paul Hoenecke was able to knot things up in the home half of the third for the Drillers as he launched his seventh home run of the year to lead off the inning. But the Naturals answered right back in the fourth.
Tulsa first baseman Cody Bellinger races into foul territory to make a catch during Sunday afternoon's ballgame. (Rich Crimi)
A leadoff walk to Allen de San Miguel, followed by three straight base hits, scored two runs for the Naturals before a sacrifice fly by Bubba Starling plated Lopez from third to put Northwest Arkansas in front 4-1.
The Drillers mounted their own rally in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out walk to Jacob Scavuzzo, followed by four consecutive singles from Alex Verdugo, Cody Bellinger, Kyle Garlick and Hoenecke to draw to within 4-3. The hit for Garlick extended his personal hitting streak to 8 games.
After Hoenecke's hit loaded the bases with one out, the Naturals called in southpaw reliever Tim Hill to try and preserve their slim advantage. And Hill did his job as he struck out Brandon Trinkwon and got Drew Maggi to pop out to shortstop to snuff out the Tulsa rally.
That seemed to take the air out of the Drillers sails, and the Naturals capitalized on the momentum as they went on to score single runs in each frame from the sixth inning on to lead to the final score of 8-3.
Kehrt saw his record drop to 1-3 with Tulsa this season after allowing four runs over 3.2 innings, while Hill earned his first victory of the year with his 2 innings of scoreless relief work.
The clubs will now have three days off for the All-Star Game break, although up to 9 Drillers will potentially be participating in the All-Star Game in Springfield, Missouri Tuesday evening. Following the break, the Drillers will resume the second half with a six-game road trip to San Antonio and Corpus Christi. The next Drillers game will take place on Thursday, June 30 with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM in San Antonio. Neither team has announced their starting rotation at this time.
Texas League Stories from June 26, 2016
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- Cardinals Win Series with 4-2 Victory on Sunday - Springfield Cardinals
- Naturals Bats Too Much for Drillers in 8-3 Loss - Tulsa Drillers
- Travs Fall 4-2 Heading into All-Star Break - Arkansas Travelers
- Naturals Blast Their Way into the Break with 8-3 Win at Tulsa - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Riders Game Notes - 6:05 p.m. vs. Corpus Christi Hooks - June 26, 2016 - Frisco RoughRiders
- Mr. Murphy? Meet Dinelson Lamet - Midland RockHounds
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