TL Tulsa Drillers

Walks and Grand Slam Beat Drillers

August 18, 2022 - Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release


WICHITA, KS - For the second straight game, walks were the story for the Tulsa Drillers Wednesday night in Wichita. After Tulsa pitchers issued a season high 14 walks in Tuesday's series-opening loss, they topped the mark with 15 walks on Wednesday, helping the Wind Surge to a 9-5 win in extra innings at Riverfront Stadium.

Wichita gained the win despite getting only five hits, but the final one was a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the tenth inning.

Control was a problem for the Drillers from the very start of the game with Wichita scoring a pair of runs in the first inning on only one hit, an infield single. Four walks from starting pitcher Lael Lockhart helped the Wind Surge take the quick 2-0 lead.

Tulsa got one of the runs back in the top of the second without getting a hit. Jeren Kendall drew a leadoff walk, stole second base and moved to third when the throw ended up in centerfield. Kendall scored on a ground out from Ryan January to make it 2-1.

More free passes helped Wichita extend its lead in the fourth when three walks from Lockhart loaded the bases with one out. Kyle Hurt came on from the Tulsa bullpen and got a ground out that brought in Wichita's third run. Hurt then threw a wild pitch that allowed another run to score and up the Wind Surge lead to 4-1.

The Drillers again responded. Leonel Valera and Ismael Alcantara began the top of the fifth with consecutive singles. Following a double steal, Valera scored on a ground out from Justin Yurchak.

Abiatal Avelino tied the score at 4-4 in the sixth inning. After a one-out walk to January, Avelino erased the Wind Surge's lead with his fourth home run since joining the Drillers.

But walks continued to haunt the Drillers in the seventh. Hurt walked two more batters to set up a two-out, run-scoring single from Will Holland that put Wichita back in front 5-4.

The Drillers again responded and used another long ball to tie the game in the top of the ninth. Leading off, Alcantara hit his second Double-A homer to level the score at 5-5 and extend the game.

In the tenth inning, Tulsa had the potential go-ahead run thrown out at the plate. Kendall was the placed runner to start the inning and stole third base with one out. Avelino hit a ground ball to shortstop Austin Martin with Kendall breaking for home on contact, but the quick throw to the plate trapped him in a rundown before being tagged out. Kenneth Betancourt went down on strikes to end the inning and set Wichita up for the walk-off win in the bottom of the tenth.

Appropriately, the Wind Surge's winning rally was aided by a walk. With placed runner DaShawn Keirsey Jr. at second base, Tulsa reliever Jordan Leasure walked the leadoff hitter with the fourth ball going to the backstop for a wild pitch. With runners at the corners, the Drillers intentionally walked Edouard Julien to load the bases.

Leasure got Martin on a line out to shallow centerfield, bringing Aaron Sabato to the plate. With a 2-0 count, Sabato drove a Leasure pitch over the centerfield wall for the walk-off grand slam. It was the first Double-A home run for Sabato.

TEXAS LEAGUE STANDINGS * TEXAS LEAGUE SCOREBOARD

HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS:

*Tulsa now has a 3-4 record in extra innings.

*The Drillers have scored the placed runner in extra innings just three times in eight tries.

*The Drillers announced two more roster moves just prior to the start of the game. Kendall was activated from the Injured List, and to make room for him on the active roster, catcher Wladimir Chalo was placed on the Development List.

*Avelino became the second Drillers player this week to flirt with hitting for the cycle. Avelino went 3-5 with a homer, a double and a single, needing just a triple to complete the rare feat. Valera fell just a single short of hitting for the cycle in Sunday's win over Midland at ONEOK Field.

*The two teams combined for 11 stolen bases in the game with Tulsa swiping a season high six bases. Valera and Kendall had two steals each.

*It was tough ending for Leasure. The Tulsa reliever had gone 11 games without allowing an earned run and had given up just one earned run since May 29. He was charged with three on the game-ending slam.

*Tulsa pitchers have walked 29 total batters in the past two games.

UP NEXT:

The Drillers and Wind Surge will resume their series on Thursday night at Riverfront Stadium. Starting time is set for 7:05 p.m. and the pitching matchup will be:

Tulsa - TBA

Wichita - LHP Brent Headrick (2-1, 5.28 ERA)

Check out the Tulsa Drillers Statistics



Texas League Stories from August 18, 2022


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