Wichita, KS – A big week for Zyhir Hope and the Tulsa Drillers continued on Saturday night in Wichita. Hope homered for the third straight game, and the Drillers got a strong outing on the mound in what was a “bullpen game.” The combination helped lead Tulsa to its fifth straight win over the Wind Surge thanks to a 10-2 victory at Equity Bank Park.
The Drillers have now scored in double figures in each of the five wins, totaling 52 runs scored in the series.
The Drillers will look to complete their second six-game sweep of the season with a victory in Sunday’s series finale. They swept six games from Northwest Arkansas at the end of May.
Pitcher Myles Caba made just the third start of his professional career and allowed a first-inning run, which was the first of two runs of the night for the Wind Surge.
It remained 1-0 until Hope delivered again in the top of the fourth. After Josue De Paula doubled, Hope hit his 16th home run of the season to put Tulsa in front 2-1.
The Drillers would go on to score in five straight innings to take control of the game. Taylor Young singled, stole second and scored on a base hit by Sean McLain in the fifth.
McLain struck again in the sixth, doubling home Kole Myers who had singled.
The lead swelled to 7-1 thanks to a three-run seventh. Frank Rodriguez singled home the first run before Young was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home the second. McLain then picked up his third RBI by drawing a bases-loaded walk.
Andrew Cossetti homered in the bottom of the seventh for Wichita’s second run, but the Drillers answered with their second consecutive three-run inning in top of the eighth.
Hope’s third hit of the game, a double to right field, plated the first run of the inning. An RBI single from Chris Newell and a sacrifice fly from Rodriguez accounted for the other two and gave Tulsa a 10-2 lead.
Patrick Copen followed Caba to the mound for his first relief appearance since the 2024 season. Copen, who has struggled over his last ten starts since his Pitcher of the Month performance in April, was outstanding. The right-hander did not allow a hit in four shutout innings while walking two batters and striking out seven.
Lucas Wepf followed Copen with two inning, allowing two hits, including Cossetti’s home run.
Kelvin Ramirez closed it out with two perfect innings.
Hope finished with two hits, including the homer, and three runs scored and three more driven in. In the five games this week in Wichita, the outfielder is a combined 10-21 with three homers, two doubles and 13 RBI.
McLain matched Hope with two hits and 3 RBI. De Paula and Myers also finished with two hits each.
GAME NOTES
*Kendall George returned to the Tulsa lineup and batted at the top of the order. He singled on the first pitch of the game and promptly stole second base. He has now hit safely in 36 of the 43 games that he has played with the Drillers this season. George had been on the Injured List with a knee injury prior to joining Class A Ontario last week. He replaced Joe Vetrano on the Tulsa roster on Saturday after the first baseman was placed on the IL
*Mike Sirota did not play in the game, keeping his on-base streak active at 67 consecutive games. He is just seven games short of matching the recent Minor League Baseball record of 74 consecutive games set by Andrew Velasquez for Class-A South Bend in the 2014 season.
*Jake Gelof drew a walk in the eighth inning to extend his own on-base streak to 42 straight games. It is the longest on-base streak in the Texas League this year, when just counting league games.
*Copen was credited with the win, his fourth of the season and his first since April 23.
*The Drillers clinched this year’s Coors Light Propeller Series with Friday’s victory. They now have a 14-3 record against the Wind Surge this season.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will conclude their series in Wichita on Sunday night at Equity Bank Park. Starting time for the finale is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
Tulsa – RHP Peter Heubeck (0-2, 9.00 ERA)
Wichita – RHP Cory Lewis (0-2, 3.82 ERA)