Corpus Christi, TX – Over the last nine games, offense has been the strength of the Tulsa Drillers as the team entered Friday night batting .315 with 27 home runs and 72 runs scored during that span. However, pitching led the way for the Drillers in a second straight win in Corpus Christi, as Christian Zazueta turned in six scoreless innings and three relievers combined to allow just one run in a 3-1 victory over the Hooks at Whataburger Field.
The victory evened the six-game series between the Drillers and Hooks at two wins each.
Tulsa also picked up a game on first-place Springfield in the second-half Texas League North Division standings. The victory put the Drillers only three games back of the Cardinals as Springfield fell to San Antonio on Friday.
For the fourth straight game, the Drillers put the first run on the scoreboard. In the third inning, Taylor Young continued Tulsa’s power surge with a solo home run, his second of the season.
Young’s homer was one of two hits through the first five innings as Zazueta and the Hooks’ Nolan DeVos commanded the game on the mound. Zazueta, the Los Angeles Dodgers top pitching prospect, allowed just one hit and one walk over the first five frames.
DeVos completed five innings and had a solid night as well, as he struck out six hitters, walked three and gave up just the one hit on Young’s homer.
Tulsa added to its lead in the sixth inning when a walk and a hit set up Frank Rodriguez, who singled to right to score Mike Sirota and put the Drillers in front 2-0.
Lucas Wepf took over for Zazueta on the mound in the seventh inning and kept Corpus Christi off the scoreboard by striking out two in one inning pitched.
The Drillers produced their third run in the eighth inning when Rodriguez drove in his second run with a sacrifice fly.
Carson Hobbs worked a scoreless bottom of the eighth to keep Tulsa’s shutout bid intact entering the ninth.
The bottom of the ninth came with drama as the Drillers turned to Kelvin Ramirez to earn the final three outs. After Ramirez struck out the leadoff hitter, Will Bush drew a walk before Jason Schiavone struck out for the inning’s second out. The next two hitters earned singles to allow Bush to score and give the Hooks their first run. With two runners on base, Chase Call represented the winning run, and on the fourth pitch of his at-bat, Call hit a deep fly ball to the gap in left-center field, but the ball held up enough for Kole Myers to make the catch on the warning track to end the game.
GAME NOTES
*Zazueta worked his longest outing to date in his seventh start with the Drillers. He completed six innings on Friday and finished with only two hits and one walk allowed while striking out eight, earning his first Double-A win. He has now held the Hooks scoreless in two starts across 11.0 innings this season, totaling 16 strikeouts in that span.
*Tulsa was outhit 6-5 in the win.
*Young’s home run gives the Drillers 28 homers over their last ten games, which is the second most in all of Minor League Baseball during that span.
*Hobbs’ scoreless inning was his 12th consecutive appearance without allowing a run over 17.1 innings pitched.
*Sirota reached base twice to increase his current on-base streak to 13 straight games while reaching base 35 times during that span.
*Ramirez’s outing gave him his team-leading sixth save of 2026.
*Rodriguez’s RBI single increased his hitting streak to eight games, the longest of his pro career. During the streak, he is batting .467 with two home runs and nine RBI.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will look for their third straight win on Saturday night at Whataburger Field with game five of the six-game series with the Hooks. First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m. and the pitching matchup is expected to be:
Tulsa – RHP Aidan Foeller (0-1, 2.08 ERA)
Corpus Christi– RHP Andrew Taylor (Double-A Debut)