Streaking Drillers Sweep Doubleheader
Published on May 29, 2026 under Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Tulsa Drillers on game night
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Tim Campbell)
Tulsa, OK - The Tulsa Drillers recent hot streak continued Friday night with a doubleheader sweep of Northwest Arkansas. Griffin Lockwood-Powell almost singlehandedly defeated the Naturals in a 4-3 game one victory, while a trio of Tulsa pitchers combined on a one-hit shutout in a 2-0 game two win.
In the opener, Lockwood-Powell hit two home runs before also delivering the game-winning, walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning. The catcher drove in three of the four runs Tulsa scored in the game.
The sweep ran the Drillers' winning streak to four straight games, and it also moved them back into first place in the Texas League's North Division, just ý game in front of Arkansas.
Since May 16, Tulsa has won 12 of its past 14 games.
Griffin Lockwood-Powell receives congratulations from third base coach Johan Garcia after hitting the first of his two home runs in Saturday's 4-3 game one win.Tim Campbell
Game one got off to a quick start when the Naturals' leadoff hitter, Carson Roccaforte, singled off the glove of shortstop Elijah Hainline on the first pitch of the game. Colton Becker followed with another single that set up Spencer Nivens to plate the game's first run with a sacrifice fly.
The Drillers erased the deficit by scoring the next three runs of the game on three solo homers.
Lockwood-Powell tied the game when he led off the bottom of the second with his fifth home run of the year.
Elijah Hainline's seventh homer in the third gave the Drillers a 2-1 lead, and Lockwood-Powell's second home run of the game in the fourth upped the margin to two runs.
The long ball display continued and allowed the Naturals to tie the score at 3-3. Alberto Rodriguez singled with one out in the fifth inning. Following a strikeout, Colton Becker belted a drive into the Country Financial Terrace, just out of the reach of a leaping Chris Newell in left field.
It remained tied until the seventh and final inning when the Drillers staged a two-out, game-winning rally.
After the first two batters of the seventh were retired, Zyhir Hope and Kyle Nevin extended the frame with consecutive singles.
It set up Lockwood-Powell to put a cap on his big game, and he did just that when he lined a 2-2 pitch just past the third baseman and down the left field line for a base hit that allowed Hope to race home with the game-winning run.
In the nightcap, the Drillers rode a strong outing from starting pitcher Peter Heubeck and four shutout innings from the bullpen to claim the shutout win.
Heubeck, in only his third appearance of the year, allowed just one hit in three scoreless innings. Just as impressively, he did not walk a batter while getting strikeouts on six of the nine outs he recorded.
Carson Hobbs took over for Heubeck to open the fourth inning, and he retired all six batters he faced, needing only 14 pitches to do so.
Kelvin Ramirez took it from there. Ramirez allowed just one baserunner, on a hit by pitch, and struck out a pair in two scoreless innings to close out the victory.
Sacrifice flies from Jake Gelof and Hope accounted for the two runs in the nightcap.
GAME NOTES
*Lockwood-Powell's six home runs this season top the five homers he hit all of last season with the Drillers. His two home runs in the opener marked the fourth time this season that a Tulsa batter has had a multi-homer game.
*Reliever Christian Suarez picked up his third win of the season in game one, working 2.0 shutout innings in back of starter Payton Martin.
*Despite the pair of seven-inning games, Josue De Paula and Jake Gelof were able to extend their hitting streaks. De Paula doubled in each game to extend his streak to seven straight games. Gelof finished 1-2 in both games to extend his streak to eight games.
*In two starts for Tulsa this season, Heubeck has allowed just one run while striking out nine in 5.0 total innings.
*Ramirez collected his third save of the year, just one less than Cam Day's team-leading four saves. Opposing batters are hitting just .159 against Ramirez this season.
*Hobbs has allowed just one earned run over his last 11.0 innings, for a 0.82 ERA during that stretch.
*In game one, Northwest Arkansas shortstop Jack Pineda and manager Brooks Conrad were both ejected from the game by home plate umpire Larry Pettis. The ejections occurred after Pineda was called out on strikes by Pettis on the front end of a strikeout and caught stealing double play.
UP NEXT
The Drillers and Naturals will continue their series Saturday evening at ONEOK Field. Starting time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the pitching matchup is expected to be:
NW Arkansas - LHP Hunter Owen (1-2, 6.94 ERA)
Tulsa - RHP Patrick Copen (3-3, 5.64 ERA)
Images from this story
 Tulsa Drillers on game night (Tim Campbell) |
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