Pitching Gives Drillers Third Straight Win
Published on August 28, 2021 under Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Michael Busch makes contact with a pitch as the Tulsa Drillers take game four of the series 2-1
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Ed Bailey)
WICHITA, KS- Friday's night game was a low-scoring affair as the Tulsa Drillers pitching staff held the Wichita Wind Surge to only three hits for the night. Tulsa was able to plate just two runs, but it proved to be enough for a 2-1 win at Riverfront Stadium. Drillers' pitching was also able to work around eight walks in the win.
The victory puts the Drillers just one win away from claiming the first ever Coors Light Propeller Series.
Tulsa is now only 3.0 games back from first place Wichita and 1.5 games back from second place Frisco in the Double-A Central playoff race. Only the two teams with the highest winning percentages will make the playoffs, regardless of division.
Clayton Beeter gave the Drillers a great start on the mound, throwing 3.1 hitless innings while allowing just two base runners.
For the second consecutive night, the Drillers put runs on the board first. In the second inning, Hunter Feduccia and Devin Mann singled to put two runners on for Tulsa. Catcher Juan Zabala drove in one run with a single to center. The next pitch Mann came in to score on a wild pitch for a 2-0 Drillers lead.
The Wind Surge cut the lead in half in the fifth. D.J. Burt worked a lead-off walk that came back to hurt the Drillers as he scored on a failed double play attempt, cutting Tulsa's lead to 2-1.
The Drillers bullpen kept Wichita at bay for the final five innings, working around two bases-loaded jams and six walks.
Aaron Ochsenbein entered the game and got the Drillers out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the eighth. Ochsenbein went on to retire the side in the ninth to earn his team-leading seventh save of the season and his second in the past three nights.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
*The win puts Tulsa ten games over the .500 mark for the first time this season with a 55-45 record through 100 games.
*Beeter pitched his longest out of the season on Friday night going 3.1 innings striking out eight of the thirteen batters faced.
*Miguel Vargas finished with three hits for the game.
*Cameron Gibbens gave up the only run for the Drillers.
*The Drillers need to win just one of the next two games to win the Propeller Series with Wichita.
UP NEXT
The Coors Light Propeller Series continues when Tulsa meets Wichita in game five of their six-game series on Saturday, August 28 at 6:05 PM at Riverfront Stadium.
The pitching matchup is TBA for the Drillers against RHP Cole Sands (2-1,
2.93 ERA) for the Wind Surge.
Watch or listen live on MiLB.tv or AM 1430 The Buzz on the iHeartRadio app.
Images from this story
 Michael Busch makes contact with a pitch as the Tulsa Drillers take game four of the series 2-1 (Ed Bailey) |
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