Tulsa Suffers Ninth-Inning Loss to Naturals
Published on August 24, 2025 under Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Tulsa Drillers pitcher Luke Fox
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Paige Grider)
Springdale, AR - The Tulsa Drillers and Northwest Arkansas played an important series finale that did not end in the Drillers favor. Tulsa carried a one-run lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Naturals loaded the bases and produced two runs to hand the Drillers a 4-3 loss on Sunday afternoon at Arvest Ballpark.
The defeat trimmed the Drillers lead to only two games for the final playoff spot in the Texas League's North Division. They lead both Northwest Arkansas and Arkansas by two games and Wichita by three with 18 games remaining in the regular season.
The Naturals jumped to an early lead in Sunday's finale when their Rudy Martin led off the bottom of the first with a home run on the first pitch he saw from Tulsa starter Ryan Fox.
The score remained 1-0 until the fourth when a leadoff walk came around to score on Spencer Niven's sacrifice fly that gave the Naturals a two-run lead.
In the fifth, Tulsa showed discipline at the plate by, needing only one hit to score three runs. The Drillers loaded the bases with no outs on a single, a hit batter and a walk against Naturals pitcher Caden Monke. Two more walks forced in two runs to tie the game. Chris Newell produced the inning's final run with an RBI groundout, giving Tulsa a 3-2 lead.
Fox held the Naturals scoreless in the sixth to keep the Drillers in front as he completed a strong six-inning start.
Jerming Rosario held the lead with a scoreless seventh inning, and Christian Suarez blanked the Naturals in the eighth to turn the game over to closer Carson Hobbs.
Unfortunately for the Drillers, Hobbs did not have his best stuff on Sunday. After he recorded the first out, the Naturals loaded the bases with a single and two walks. Omar Hernandez tied the game with a single to center field.
Martin came to the plate next and hit a ground ball to shortstop Taylor Young, who recorded a force out at home plate to keep the score tied.
Tulsa was one out away from sending the game to extra innings, but Carson Roccaforte followed with the game-winning, blooped single that was just outside the reach of Young, who was sprinting towards the outfield.
The tough loss was the third straight for the Drillers.
INSIDE THE GAME
*The Drillers finished the series with 2-4 record against the Naturals. Tulsa is now 3-1 in their last four six-game series.
*Fox had one of his best starts since joining the Drillers and set a few highs in the process. He worked a quality start, completing six innings and allowed two runs on two hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. His innings pitched, strikeouts, and 86 pitches thrown are all highs in Fox's six starts with the Drillers.
*Newell's 34-game on-base streak ended as he finished 0-4. The streak stands as the second-longest in the Texas League this season behind Griffin Lockwood-Powell's 36-game on-base streak.
*The two runs allowed by Hobbs in the ninth inning were the first earned runs he had allowed in Double A and his first loss, dropping his record to 3-1.
*Before Roccaforte's winning hit, he was 2-21 in the series with 11 strikeouts.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will travel back to Tulsa and will have Monday off before beginning a six-game series against the Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros) on Tuesday at ONEOK Field. First pitch for the opener is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the starting pitchers have not been announced.
Images from this story
 Tulsa Drillers pitcher Luke Fox (Paige Grider) |
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