Tulsa, OK – One inning determined the outcome of Saturday’s matchup between the Tulsa Drillers and the Arkansas Travelers at ONEOK Field. Tulsa entered the night looking to secure its sixth straight victory and seventh in its last eight games. However, a five-run, fifth inning from the Travelers was the downfall for the Drillers as they saw their win streak snapped in a 6-2 loss.
With the loss, Tulsa missed an opportunity to pick up a game on first-place Springfield in the second-half division standings of the Texas League’s North Division. The Cardinals also lost on Saturday as they were shut out 3-0 by Northwest Arkansas. The Drillers still trail the Redbirds by one game.
Another pitching duel developed to begin the game. Christian Zazueta and Ryan Sloan, who are both top 5 prospects in their respective organizations, opened the night by holding the opposition scoreless through the first four innings, combining for 13 strikeouts in that span.
Zazueta departed the game after the fourth inning after throwing 71 pitches.
The Travelers scored the game’s first run after his departure. They began the top of the fifth with a double and a single before a fielder’s choice grounder plated the first run. Later in the inning, the Travs loaded the bases and designated hitter Boston Smith hit a grand slam that increased the lead to 5-0.
In the bottom of the fifth, for the second straight night, Joe Vetrano hit a mammoth homer that was measured at 468 feet. It cleared the batter's eye in center field and gave Tulsa its first run.
It was the only damage against Sloan, who departed the game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. He gave up five hits, one walk and just the one run on Vetrano’s homer.
Arkansas scored its sixth and final run in the seventh when Smith drove in his fifth run with a double that scored Jonny Farmelo from third.
The Drillers were limited to just one more run over the final four innings. In the eighth, Jake Gelof delivered a two-out double that scored Taylor Young from second base.
Tulsa looked tried to complete another comeback in the ninth inning as singles from Kole Myers and Joe Izarra put the tying run on deck with two outs. The threat was quickly squashed as Adam Smith struck out Young to end the game.
GAME NOTES
*Zazueta earned a no decision in his eighth start this season with the Drillers. He allowed only two hits and issued a pair of walks while striking out six.
*For Vetrano, it was his second home run in as many nights and his eighth of the season. The homer was also his third against the Travelers this week.
*Young, Josue De Paula and Myers each recorded multiple hits. It was Young’s fourth multi-hit performance in his last five games and De Paula’s 35th this season.
*Gelof’s RBI double marked his fifth straight game with a run driven in.
*Carson Hobbs was the pitcher of record as he was charged with the Travelers first three runs. It was his first loss of the season and dropped his record to 3-1.
UP NEXT
Tulsa will look to bounce back in the series finale with the Travelers on Sunday night. The game will have a special starting time of 7:00 p.m. at ONEOK Field, and the pitching matchup is slated to be:
Arkansas - RHP Adam Leverett (4-4, 4.76 ERA)
Tulsa - RHP Patrick Copen (6-6, 6.39 ERA)