Springdale, AR – The Tulsa Drillers entered Thursday night with a magic number of one to clinch the first-half title in the Texas League’s North Division. Tulsa needed to either earn a win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals or for Arkansas to fall to Frisco to secure a playoff spot.
But, before the Drillers game ended, their fate had been determined as Frisco defeated Arkansas 13-4 to clinch Tulsa’s postseason berth.
By clinching the Texas League North Division Championship, it marks the second straight season that the Drillers will appear in the postseason and the second time under the leadership of Manager Eric Wedge.
Despite winning the first-half division title, the Drillers dropped their second straight game to the Naturals, 6-5 in ten innings at Arvest Ballpark.
Tulsa opened the game by scoring first in the second inning. Jake Gelof began the frame with a walk, and Kole Myers followed with a triple to produce the Drillers first run. Myers scored one batter later on Sean McLain’s sacrifice fly. After Hayden Gilliland followed with a single, Josue De Paula blasted his 13th home run to give the Drillers a 4-0 lead.
They held the four-run lead until the fourth inning, when the Naturals responded with three runs. Two walks began the inning before the first run scored on Dan Vazquez’s single. Two more scored on Omar Hernandez’s single to narrow Tulsa’s lead to 4-3.
In the sixth, Rudy Martin Jr. earned a two-out single and stole second base to reach scoring position for Colton Becker, who tripled and tied the game at 4-4.
Tulsa regained its lead in the seventh when Gilliland doubled to drive in a run and give the Drillers a 5-4 lead.
Northwest Arkansas tied the game at five in the eighth inning with an unearned run. With one out, a fielding error from Mike Sirota allowed Martin Jr. to reach second base. He would then score all the way from second on a wild pitch to make the score 5-5.
Neither team scored in the ninth, sending the game into extra innings for the second time in three games. Tulsa drew a leadoff walk in the top of the tenth, but the next three hitters struck out to strand two runners on base.
The Naturals quickly took advantage in the bottom of the tenth as Vazquez bunted the placed runner over to third and Martin Jr. singled him home to hand the Drillers their second straight loss.
GAME NOTES
*Nick Robertson pitched the ninth and tenth innings and was charged with his first loss to drop his record to 6-1. It was the third straight game that Robertson has allowed a run after beginning the season with 25.1 scoreless innings. Since it was the placed runners who scored, it was an unearned run.
*The loss was just the second time this season that the Drillers have fallen when leading after seven innings. Tulsa is now 31-2 when leading after seven.
*Sirota’s impressive on-base streaks were extended as he drew a walk in the tenth inning. The Tulsa outfielder has now reached base in all 26 games he has played in since his promotion to the Drillers. Prior to his move, Sirota had a 30-game on-base streak with High-A Great Lakes and has now reached base safely in 56 straight games, the longest on-base streak in all of Minor League Baseball this season. It was the second time in the last three games that Sirota extended both streaks in extra innings.
*Gelof reached base twice on two walks and increased his on-base streak to 29 games. It is the longest on-base streak in the Texas League this season when just counting Double A games.
*Tulsa starting pitcher Peter Heubeck worked three plus innings and gave up two runs on two hits and three walks with five strikeouts in his fifth start for Tulsa in 2026. He threw 60 pitches in the start, which were the most he has thrown since returning from an injury on May 23.
*De Paula’s second-inning homer was his second in as many nights. He has now recorded a hit in 21 of his last 24 games. It was his first time hitting a home run in consecutive games this season.
*The start of the game was delayed 59 minutes due to rain showers passing through Springdale.
UP NEXT
The Drillers and Naturals will return to action on Friday night for game four of the six-game series at Arvest Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
Tulsa – RHP Roque Gutierrez (5-0, 4.95 ERA)
NW Arkansas – LHP Hunter Owen (1-2, 7.02 ERA)