Wild Pitch Helps Drillers End Long Night with a Win
Published on July 1, 2026 under Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
Taylor Young of the Tulsa Drillers
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Ed Bailey)
Wichita, KS - The Tulsa Drillers opened a six-game series in Wichita on Tuesday night with a 10-inning, 3ý-hour battle with the Wind Surge. In a wild, back-and-forth game, it seemed only appropriate that the winner was eventually determined by a wild pitch.
Three different times the Drillers faced a deficit in the game. After forcing extra innings with a game-tying run in the top of the ninth inning, the Drillers scored three runs in the top of the tenth, the first coming home on a wild pitch, to finally post a grueling 11-8 win over the Wind Surge at Equity Bank Park.
The victory continued Tulsa's winning ways in this season's edition of the Coors Light Propeller Series. The Drillers now hold a 10-3 lead in this year's series and need just 4 more wins in the final 11 meetings to win back the Propeller Trophy.
The high-scoring game got off to a fast start when the Wind Surge took their first lead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning off Tulsa starter Peter Heubeck, but the Drillers answered with two runs of their own in the top of the second. Both scored when newly-arrived Taylor Young doubled with the bases loaded.
Run-scoring hits from Billy Amick and Jaime Ferrer in the bottom of the third restored the Wind Surge's two-run lead, but Young again responded. His second two-run double of the night in the top of the fourth tied the score at 4-4. Josue De Paula followed with a base hit that scored Young and gave the Drillers their first lead of the night.
Garrett Spain homered off Heubeck with two outs in the bottom half of the fourth again tied the score.
It remained tied until the sixth inning. Young drew a leadoff walk and De Paula doubled. With one out, Elijah Hainline singled home Young before De Paula scored on a fielder's choice to give the Drillers a 7-5 lead.
Wichita staged the game's final rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. Amick opened the rally by reaching safely on an error. Kyle DeBarge singled him home to reduce Tulsa's lead to one run.
After reliever Lucas Wepf failed on three pickoff attempts, DeBarge advanced to second on the balk and then scored on Ferrer's double to tie the game.
Ferrer moved to third on a fly out and then scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from Jose Salas.
Trailing for the third time in the game, the Drillers again rallied. Zyhir Hope opened the top of the ninth by drawing a walk, with ball four occurring on a pitch-clock violation. After a pop out, Hope advanced to second when Chris Newell grounded out sharply to first. That set up catcher Frank Rodriguez who lined a single into left-center field to plate Hope and tie the game at 8-8.
The Drillers took their biggest lead of the game with three runs in the top of the tenth. With placed runner Young at second, De Paula flied out to open the tenth. Two walks followed before a wild pitch from Sam Ryan allowed Young to race home with the go-ahead run.
Jake Gelof singled home the second run, and Newell plated the third with a sacrifice fly that upped the lead to 11-8.
Antonio Knowles made sure there was no drama in the bottom the tenth, needing just six pitches to record the three outs that ended the game.
For Knowles, it was his first save of the season. He has yet to allow a run in 13.0 innings over ten games with the Drillers this season.
Chris Newell receives congratulations from his teammates during Tulsa's win in Wichita on Tuesday night.Ed Bailey
GAME NOTES
*Mike Sirota drew a walk in the fourth inning to extend his impressive on-base streak. Sirota has reached base safely in all 34 games he has played in with the Drillers. Before his promotion to Tulsa, the outfielder reached base in his final 30 games with High-A Great Lakes, giving him an overall 64-game, on-base streak. It is the longest on-base streak in professional baseball this season. The recent on-base record in Minor League Baseball is 74 straight games.
*Gelof singled in the second inning to extend his on-base streak to 38 straight games, which marks the longest on-base streak this season in the Texas League, when just counting league games.
*Prior to the game, the Drillers announced the roster change that featured the timely addition of Young. Jose Izarra was transferred back to Great Lakes, while Young returned to the Drillers from Oklahoma City. Young hit .366 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI in 13 games with the Comets.
*Young was 2-4 with two doubles in his return game. He scored three runs and drove in four.
*The big, game-tying hit from Rodriguez in the top of the ninth was one of three hits on the night for the catcher.
*Reliever Kelvin Ramirez, a native of Venezuela, picked up the win thanks to two scoreless innings. It upped his season record to 4-1.
*Evan Shaw followed Heubeck to the mound and he delivered 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
*Tulsa finished the month of June with an 18-7 record.
UP NEXT
The two teams will play the second game of their six-game series on Wednesday night at Equity Bank Park. Starting time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the pitching matchup is expected to be:
Tulsa - RHP Christian Zazueta (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Wichita - RHP Cory Lewis (0-2, 4.29 ERA)
Images from this story
 Taylor Young of the Tulsa Drillers (Ed Bailey) |
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- Wild Pitch Helps Drillers End Long Night with a Win - Tulsa Drillers
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- Drillers Rally Late, Defeat Wind Surge 11-8 in 10 Innings - Wichita Wind Surge
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