Scahill Leads Drillers to 9th Straight Win
Published on September 1, 2011 under Texas League (TL1)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
It is difficult to imagine a player having a bigger influence on a game than what Rob Scahill had Wednesday night for the Tulsa Drillers. Not only did Scahill throw six no-hit innings, he drove in what proved to the game-winning run as the Drillers defeated Springfield 5-1 at ONEOK Field.
The victory also meant another edit to the Drillers Record book. It was the ninth straight win for Tulsa, matching a franchise record that was set in July of the 2001 season.
It is the second time in a week that a record has been established. On Monday, Tim Wheeler broke the franchise home run record with his 33rd homer of the season.
The win moved the Drillers into a first-place tie with Northwest Arkansas atop the Texas League's North Division standings with only five games remaining in the regular season. The second-half winner will advance to the TL Playoffs to face Arkansas in a best-of-five, first round meeting.
Scahill and Springfield's Deryk Hooker were both working on shutouts Wednesday before the Drillers ended the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the fifth. Lars Davis led off the inning by drawing a walk from Hooker. After Erik Wetzel struck out, Scahill took offensive matters into his own hands. The Tulsa pitcher fell into 1-2 hole before working a full count off Hooker. After a pair of foul balls, Scahill hit a drive over the head of centerfielder Daryl Jones that hit near the base of the fence. Davis scored all the way from first, sliding safely into home on the double to give the Drillers the first run of the game.
Tim Wheeler grounded into the inning's second out, but Tommy Field made it 2-0 with another double over the head of Jones.
Brian Rike added to the lead with a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the sixth. The opposite-field drive was Rike's 13th homer of the season.
The Cardinals ended Scahill's no-hitter and his bid for a shutout in the top of the seventh. Jermaine Curtis led off the inning with a lined single into left field for the Redbirds first hit. Ryan Jackson made it two straight hits with a single to right that moved Curtis to second. Scahill got a double play grounder from Texas League Player of the Year Matt Adams, but Chris Swauger bounced a single into center that scored Curtis to make it 3-1.
The Drillers added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning. Wetzel led off with a single and advanced to second on a one-out hit by Wheeler. After Field flew out to put runners at the corners, Wheeler moved into scoring position by swiping his 21st base of the season. Paulsen then lined a single into right to plate both runners and give Tulsa a 5-1 lead.
The three singles the Cards got in the seventh would be their only hits of the night. Scahill set Springfield down in order in the eighth, and Stephen Dodson worked a perfect ninth inning to complete the win.
In his eight innings, Scahill allowed the one run and three hits while walking three batters and striking out seven. The win improved his record to 11-11.
The performance dropped the right-hander's ERA (3.96) under 4.00 for the first time this season. Since July 1, he has made 11 starts, receiving a decision in each one. In that span, he has thrown 65 innings, allowing only 23 earned runs for a 3.19 ERA.
Tulsa will look to extend its winning streak to a record-breaking 10 wins on Thursday night. The Drillers will send Christian Friedrich (6-9, 4.71 ERA) to the mound against Joe Kelly (5-4, 5.23 ERA) of the Cards. Starting time at ONEOK Field is scheduled for 7:05PM.
Texas League Stories from September 1, 2011
- Travs Drop Another to Naturals - Arkansas Travelers
- Naturals Hang on for Win Thursday - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Drillers' Streak Ends - Tulsa Drillers
- Cardinals Beat Drillers 7-3 - Springfield Cardinals
- Osuna, Roughriders Again Stun Hooks Late - Frisco RoughRiders
- Game Notes, September 1 - Frisco at Corpus Christi - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Royals Farm Report: August 25th - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Will Smith Is TL Player of the Month - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Scahill Leads Drillers to 9th Straight Win - Tulsa Drillers
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