Drillers week in review, week 9

Another week of play is in the books for the Tulsa Drillers. Their final game of a six-game homestand that was to be played Monday was cancelled due to wet field conditions after early morning thunderstorms passed through the area. The game was set to be Tulsa’s last game with Frisco for the first-half of the season and will not be rescheduled or made up.

The Drillers were 3-3 overall during the past week, as they finished up a six-game road trip to Midland and Frisco. Tulsa returned home to ONEOK Field on Wednesday where they compiled a record of 3-2. They will now travel to Springfield for a four-game set with the Cardinals before returning to ONEOK Field to start a nine-game homestand on June 13.

LOOKING BACK

Monday: An eight-run fourth inning by Frisco put the Drillers in an early hole that they would not be able to climb out of as they went on to lose 9-6. Starter Christian Friedrich walked the first two hitters in the bottom of the fourth before Taylor Teagarden drew first blood for Frisco with a three run homer. Matthew Lawson plated three more runs later on a bases loaded double while Emerson Frostad followed with a two-run shot to make the score 8-0. 

Tulsa cut the lead in half with a four-run seventh inning. Ryan Harvey broke the shutout with a one-run homer before Daniel Mayora tripled on the next at bat and scored on a Wilin Rosario single. Jason Van Kooten later drove in two runs on a base hit to pull the Drillers within four. 

Frisco scored another run in the bottom of the eighth to make the score 9-4. The Drillers would go on to score two more runs in the top of the ninth, as Rosario led off with a homer and Eider Torres drove in Van Kooten from second base. Bronson Sardinha later grounded out to end the game with the potential tying run in the on-deck circle.

Wednesday: Tulsa picked up a 2-0 win over the Midland Rockhounds in their return to ONEOK Field as pitcher Bruce Billings extended his scoreless inning streak to 31 and 1/3 innings. Billings went seven innings, striking out seven batters while allowing just two hits. Billings, who has not allowed a run since May 3, picked up his fourth home win in five starts.

Rosario provided the game’s only runs in the bottom of the second inning. Mayora led off the inning with a single before Rosario blasted a line drive shot over the left-center field wall. Scott Rice picked up his second save of the season after allowing just one hit in the ninth inning.

Thursday: A sellout crowd of 7,833 at ONEOK Field watched Midland even their three-game series with Tulsa by way of a 2-1 win. Drillers starter Keith Weiser put in a solid seven innings, allowing five hits and two runs, but it was a trio of Rockhounds that came out on top of the pitchers dual. Ryan Edell allowed just one run and five hits through five innings to pick up the win while relievers Jason Ray and Jared Lansford allowed just one hit each through a combined four innings of work.

Midland jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Corey Brown blasted a two-run homer to right field. Tulsa cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning when Warren Schaeffer doubled on a line drive to right field, scoring Rosario from second base. The Drillers would not be able to close the gap as they stranded ten runners including five at third base.

Friday: A second straight sellout crowd witnessed pitcher Cory Riordan throw his best game of the season, as the Drillers defeated the Rockhounds 2-1. Riordan struck out eight batters while allowing just one run on five hits through 7 and 1/3 innings. Tulsa jumped out to an early lead when Mayora drove in Charles Blackmon from second on a line drive to left field.

Midland tied the game in the top of the sixth on line drive to left field by Alex Valdez that scored Sulentic from second. The Drillers answered right back in the bottom half of the inning, when Harvey cranked his eighth homer of the season over the left field wall from the lead off position. From there the Rockhounds would not be able to get back into the contest.

Saturday: The Frisco RoughRiders rode a ninth inning surge past the Tulsa Drillers to pick up a 7-4 win at ONEOK Field. Frisco took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning before Tulsa roared back to make things interesting. Scott Beerer led off with a single to left field then Sardinha followed with base hit to right field.

Kiel Roling then knocked a ground-rule double to right-center field that scored Beerer and advanced Sardinha to third. Schaeffer then reached base on a single to center field that plated Sardinha and Roling to tie the game 4-4. 

The RoughRiders broke the game wide open in the top of the ninth, when reliever Chris Malone gave up a pair of one-out walks. James Tomlin then hit a single that scored Teagarden to break the tie. Guilder Rodriguez and Renny Osuna added RBI singles that put the game out of reach for the Drillers.

Sunday: Brandon Durden out-dueled Frisco ace Blake Beavan to lead Tulsa to a 4-1 win. Durden was outstanding during the eight inning outing, allowing just two base runners in the first two innings before retiring the final 20 batters he faced. On the day Durden struck out six and allowed just the two hits while walking only one in his third win of the season.

RBI doubles by Blackmon and Sardinha highlighted a three-run third inning that also included an RBI single from Mayora. Sardinha added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when he blasted a solo shot over the center field fence. The lone Frisco run came in the top of the ninth when Teagarden drove in Lawson from second on a single to left field.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The Drillers open up four-game road set with the Springfield Cardinals on Wednesday before they return home for a nine-game homestand on Sunday.

STANDINGS

Texas League North: Northwest Arkansas (32-23), Springfield (29-27), Tulsa (23-31), Arkansas (21-33).

Texas League South: Frisco (33-22), Corpus Christi (29-27), San Antonio (28-28), Midland (26-30).

BATTING LEADERS 

Average: Bronson Sardinha (.306) Hits: Scott Beerer (45) Doubles: Daniel Mayora (14) Triples: Jason Van Kooten, Anthony Jackson, Daniel Mayora (3) Homeruns: Ryan Harvey (8) RBI: Ryan Harvey (26)

PITCHING LEADERS (Minimum of 14 innings pitched)

Wins: Bruce Billings (4) ERA: Scott Rice (1.31) Saves: Craig Baker (5) Strikeouts: Cory Riordan (46)

Tickets are available for all upcoming Drillers games  are available at the ONEOK Field box office, by calling 744-5901 or online at Tulsa drillers.com.