Schmidt Shuts Down Travs as Tulsa Takes Series
Published on May 13, 2012 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
Tulsa, Oklahoma - Nick Schmidt dazzled on Sunday afternoon spinning eight innings allowing just three base hits as the Tulsa Drillers pulled off a 4-2 victory over the Arkansas Travelers at ONEOK Field. In sending the Travs to their third straight loss, Schmidt issued no walks while striking out five batters and was charged with one run. He held the Travs hitless until the seventh inning when Renny Osuna broke up the no-hit bid. Using a steady offensive attack the Drillers scored in four of five innings in the middle of the game to take the lead.
The Travs now return home following a 2-6 road trip with a 14-22 record, ten games behind the Drillers for the TL North lead. Tulsa now hosts NW Arkansas for four at ONEOK Field with a 24-12 record.
Eddie McKiernan (3-1) made his second start of the season and took the loss lasting just 4.2 innings. He was solid early allowing just a solo home run by Kiel Roling over the first two innings, but the Drillers ended up with seven hits while he walked two and hit another batters. McKiernan was charged with three runs before the bullpen took over.
Schmidt (2-1) would have been perfect over the first six innings if not for his own throwing error on a Darwin Perez comebacker in the third inning. The former Razorback lefty retired the first six Travs batters, then followed his error with 12 consecutive outs.
Meanwhile the Drillers had taken the lead when Roling's opposite-field fly ball sailed over the short fence in right field in the second inning. McKiernen allowed a Mike Mitchell double and an RBI single by Jimmy Cesario in the third inning. Tulsa catcher Jose Gonzalez was hit by McKiernan's first pitch of the fifth inning and later scored when Nolan Arenado doubled to the left field wall for a 3-0 Tulsa lead.
Caleb Graham got the last out in the bottom of the fifth inning and returned for the sixth. Tim Torres led off with a grounder that snuck through first baseman Casey Haerther and down the right-field line for a double. Gonzalez singled Torres home with one out for a 4-0 lead.
The Travs finally got their first base hit when Osuna led off the seventh inning with a drive to the left field gap for a double. Roberto Lopez singled to move Osuna to third base. Then Haerther shot a hard grounder to centerfield for an RBI single cutting the deficit to 4-1. After Schmidt got Adam Heether to foul out, Lopez was caught stealing third base when Jeremy Cruz swung and missed at a pitch before grounding out to end the inning. Schmidt left the game after a perfect eighth inning.
The Travs relief combo of Andrew Taylor and Matt Oye each threw one shutout inning keeping the Travs within three heading to the ninth.
Josh Sullivan entered to close in the ninth but Jean Segura hit a leadoff single and took second on a wild pitch. After Osuna and Lopez flied out, Haerther hit a grounder to the hole on the left side that Arenado misplayed into an error allowing the inning to continue. Arenado then charged on Heether's slow grounder near the third base line, but Heether beat the throw for an infield single scoring Segura. Down by two runs the Travs got the go-ahead runs on base when Sullivan hit Cruz with his next pitch to load the bases. But Darwin Perez bounced along the first base line for a 1-3 putout to end the game.
Time of game was 2:22 and the paid attendance was 4,638.
Heading home for the next eight games the Travs will take on the Springfield Cardinals on Monday night at Dickey-Stephens Park. A.J. Schugel (1-4, 3.20) is due to pitch for the Travs while the Cards counter with lefty John Gast (4-2, 2.03). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.
Texas League Stories from May 13, 2012
- Missions Defeat Midland 7-4, Sweep Series - San Antonio Missions
- Schoop's Shot Gives Naturals Win - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Cardinals Fall to Naturals 6-5 - Springfield Cardinals
- Schmidt Stays Sharp vs. Travs - Tulsa Drillers
- Schmidt Shuts Down Travs as Tulsa Takes Series - Arkansas Travelers
- Seventh Inning Separation - Frisco RoughRiders
- Drillers Score Four in Ninth to Beat Travs - Arkansas Travelers
- 12's a Charm - Frisco RoughRiders
- Drillers Rally for Wild Victory - Tulsa Drillers
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