Wichita, KS – The Coors Light Propeller Trophy is returning to ONEOK Field. The Tulsa Drillers rallied to defeat Wichita 10-5 Friday night to clinch this year’s season series between the two teams and win the 2026 Propeller Series. The Propeller Trophy has been on display in Equity Bank Park since the Wind Surge won last year’s series.
Friday’s victory was the fourth straight for the Drillers in the current series, and it improved their season record to 13-3 versus the Wind Surge. There are eight games remaining between the two teams in the second half of the season, but the Wind Surge cannot match Tulsa’s 13 victories.
The Drillers have now won four of the six Propeller Series since Coors Light introduced the Propeller Trophy in 2021.
Friday’s game marked the 29th time this season that the Drillers have come from behind to win a game. Much of the credit on Friday belonged to Zyhir Hope who homered for the second straight game and drove in six of the ten runs in the win.
In the four wins against the Wind Surge this week, the Drillers have come from behind in three of them.
For the third straight night, the Drillers began the game by scoring in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Elijah Hainline drew a walk and stole second base to set up Hope for an RBI single that gave Tulsa a 1-0 lead.
The Wind Surge took the lead in the bottom of the first when they scored three runs on a sacrifice fly and Kayle DeBarge’s two-run homer.
The Drillers cut the deficit to one in the top of the third on a run-scoring single from Hainline, but Billy Amick hit the Wind Surge’s second homer of the night in the bottom of the inning to restore Wichita’s two-run lead at 4-2.
Tulsa took the lead by scoring three runs in the sixth inning. Mike Sirota began the Drillers half of the inning with a single. He advanced to second base on a wild pitch, then reached third base on Hainline’s sacrifice bunt. Sirota beat out a throw home on Hope’s groundball to pull Tulsa to within 4-3. Two walks and a single followed to tie the game at 4-4. Frank Rodriguez was next and he put Tulsa ahead 5-4 with his RBI single.
Jaime Ferrer tied the game in Wichita’s half of the sixth with an RBI single.
Hope delivered the biggest hit of the night in the seventh inning, belting a three-run homer well over the right field fence that put the Drillers back in front 8-5.
Tulsa would not trail again as Hope drove in his sixth run of the night with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. Later in the inning, an errant pickoff attempt allowed Josue De Paula to score to give the Drillers a 10-5 lead.
The Tulsa bullpen closed the victory out with four shutout innings, sending the Propeller Trophy back to ONEOK Field.
*Sirota extended his on-base streak to 67 straight games with a single in the fifth inning. His streak is just eight games short of the recent Minor League Baseball record of reaching base in 74 straight games set by Andrew Velasquez of South Bend in 2014. Sirota has reached base safely in all 37 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.
*Hope’s big night gave him seven hits and nine RBI in the past three games. He now leads the Texas League with 68 RBI. It was also his second six-RBI game this season, matching his career high.
*Jake Gelof also extended his on-base streak with a walk in the fifth inning. He has now reached base in 41 consecutive games, marking the longest on-base streak in the Texas League this year, when just counting league games.
*After finishing the month of June with a 3-0 and a 2.45 ERA, Tulsa starting pitcher Payton Martin had an off night on Friday in his first start in July. The North Carolina native was charged with five runs on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts. It was also the first game this season that Martin has surrendered two home runs.
*The Drillers bullpen had a scoreless night as Christian Suarez, Carson Hobbs and Christian Ruebeck combined for four scoreless innings to close the game. Suarez was credited with the win to improve his season record to 4-3.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will be back in action Saturday night in Wichita with the fifth game of their series with the Wind Surge. Starting time is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. and the pitching matchup is expected to be:
Tulsa – LHP Myles Caba (2-1, 4.13 ERA)
Wichita – RHP Sam Armstrong (2-6, 4.43 ERA)