Tulsa's Bats Silenced in 5-1 Loss
May 22, 2021 - Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Tulsa Drillers starting pitcher Andre Jackson delivers a pitch
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Rich Crimi)
Tulsa- The Tulsa Drillers entered Saturday's game against Wichita with wins in seven of their past eight games. The successful streak disguised recent offensive struggles for the Drillers, and that slump continued on Saturday. Tulsa produced only three hits and fell to the Wind Surge 5-1 at ONEOK Field.
Offensively, the game began promisingly for the Drillers. After starting pitcher Andre Jackson set Wichita down in order in the top of the first inning, Tulsa's first batter of the game, Jacob Amaya, hit his third home run of the season.
The Wind Surge answered in the top of the second. Mark Contreras singled on the first pitch of the inning, moved to second on a balk by Jackson and scored on a base hit from Jermaine Palacios.
Three singles off Jackson in the fourth inning gave the Wind Surge a second run and a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.
They added to their lead in the sixth against Drillers reliever Hunter Speer. The Wind Surge opened the inning with four straight hits and plated three more runs to increase the margin to 5-1.
After Amaya's homer, Tulsa did not get another hit until Kody Hoese's one-out double in the bottom of the seventh. A leadoff single by Michael Busch in the bottom of the ninth accounted for the club's third and final hit in the game.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
*It was the fourth time in five games this series that Tulsa had been held to five hits or less. In those five games, the Drillers have totaled just 23 hits and are hitting only .158 as a team. In addition, they have struck out at least ten times in four of the games.
*Jackson worked four complete innings and was charged with the first two runs. He gave up four hits and one walk while striking out five. Jackson was charged with the loss, his first decision of the season.
*Wichita starting pitcher Chris Vallimont made his Double-A debut a successful one. The right-hander fell one out short of working five innings and receiving credit for the deserved win. Amaya's homer was the only hit he surrendered in his 4.2 innings, and he totaled eight strikeouts.
*Hoese's seventh-inning double was his only hit in the game, but the third baseman twice hit drives that were home run distance, but both curled foul down the left field line.
*Tulsa relievers Justin Bruihl and Nick Robertson combined for 3.1 shutout innings to close out the game.
*The game was the fifth, limited-capacity sellout at ONEOK Field this season.
*The loss dropped the Drillers into third place in the North Division standings of the Double-A Central, just 1Â1/2 games behind first place Arkansas.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will wrap up their homestand Sunday afternoon. They will not play at ONEOK Field again until June 8 following a two-week road trip to Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas.
Wichita at Tulsa, Sunday, May 23, 1:05 PM at ONEOK Field. Wichita RHP Austn Schulfer (0-1, 11.00 ERA) versus Tulsa RHP Michael Grove (0-1, 13.50 ERA).
Images from this story
 Tulsa Drillers starting pitcher Andre Jackson delivers a pitch (Rich Crimi) |
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