Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers started a six-game home stand on Tuesday with a 5-0 win over Wichita at ONEOK Field. The victory came courtesy of a big night at the plate from Chris Newell and another strong start on the mound from Adam Serwinowski.
Newell drove in four of the five runs, and Serwinowski recorded his fourth straight win as the Drillers blanked the Wind Surge 5-0.
The win was the fourth straight for the Drillers and their 13th in their past 14 games. They needed the victory to maintain their first-place standing in the Texas League’s North Division, 1½ games in front of second-place Arkansas. The Travelers topped Northwest Arkansas for their sixth win in their last seven games.
There are 11 games remaining in the first half of the season which ends on June 21.
The Drillers took the lead with the game’s first run in the bottom of the second. Zyhir Hope led off with a double and Griffin Lockwood-Powell followed with a single. After Jake Gelof drew a walk to load the bases, Newell’s short fly ball to left fell in safely, about three feet from the foul line. The single plated Hope and kept the bases loaded.
Tulsa missed a chance to make it a bigger inning as Wichita starting pitcher Preston Johnson recorded three straight strikeouts to escape the jam with just one run scoring.
It stayed 1-0 until Newell struck again in the sixth inning. With one out, Lockwood-Powell led off with his second hit of the night, and Gelof drew his second walk. With the two runners on base, Newell deposited a 1-1 pitch into the Drillers bullpen for a three-run homer that upped the lead to 4-0.
It was plenty of support for Serwinowski. The lefthander allowed just one hit in five shutout innings. He did walk four batters, but he was able to keep the Wind Surge scoreless.
In his last four starts, since May 22, Serwinowski is 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA. He has allowed just 8 hits over 23 1/3 innings during the stretch with 28 strikeouts.
The Tulsa bullpen took care of the final four innings. Lucas Wepf allowed just one hit in his two scoreless innings, and Kelvin Ramirez worked around two hits to keep the Wind Surge off the scoreboard in the eighth.
Gelof singled and scored on a base hit to account for the fifth run in the bottom of the eighth before Nick Robertson closed out the win with a scoreless ninth inning.
GAME NOTES
*The big night from Newell continued a recent hot streak, as he has now hit safely in six straight games. Tuesday marked his second 4-RBI game of the streak. In the six games, he is hitting .346 with nine hits, three of which have been home runs.
*It was the sixth shutout this season for the Tulsa pitching staff.
*Robertson continued his impressive season with his outing and has yet to allow a run this year. The reliever extended his scoreless streak to 18 games and 25 1/3 innings.
*Mike Sirota finished 1-4 at the plate and has now reached base safely in all 18 games that he has played with the Drillers. Counting his streak with the High-A Great Lakes Loons, Sirota has now reached base in 48 straight games, the longest streak this season in all of Minor League Baseball.
*Gelof and Elijah Hainline also extended a pair of offensive streaks. Hainline went 1-4 and has now reached base safely in 24 straight games. Gelof had two walks and a base hit and has now reached base in 22 straight games.
*Josue De Paula was held hitless in four at-bats, ending his on-base streak at 24 games. He and Hainline are now tied for the longest on-base streak this season for a Tulsa batter.
*With the win, the Drillers took a 5-2 lead in this season’s Coors Light Propeller Series.
*Just prior to the start of the game, the Drillers announced a change to the roster. Outfielder Kole Myers was added after a brief stint with High-A Great Lakes. Myers hit .317 in 13 games with the Loons. Pitcher Maddux Bruns was placed on the Development List to make room on the roster.
UP NEXT
The Drillers and Wind Surge will quickly be back in action, playing the second game of their six-game series on Wednesday afternoon at ONEOK Field. Starting time in downtown Tulsa is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
Wichita – RHP Jose Olivares (0-4, 5.88 ERA)
Tulsa – RHP Payton Martin (2-2, 5.31 ERA)
