Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers got standout performances from Jake Gelof and Payton Martin Wednesday night at ONEOK Field in a 6-2 victory over Northwest Arkansas. Gelof became the first Drillers player in nearly seven years to hit three home runs in one game and it backed an outstanding effort from Martin, who allowed just two runs in eight strong innings.
Gelof became the first Drillers player to ever hit three home runs in a game at ONEOK Field. The last time a Tulsa batter hit three homers in a home game was on July 28, 2001 when Travis Hafner hit three against Shreveport.
The win was the second straight for the Drillers and improved their second-half record to 17-12. The result also allowed Tulsa to keep pace with Springfield, remaining just two games behind the first-place Redbirds in the second-half standings.
The Drillers actually had to come from behind to claim the victory as the game was just four pitches old when the Naturals took the lead. Leadoff batter Carson Roccaforte belted a 1-2 pitch from Martin into the right field bullpen for his 23rd home run of the season.
The home-run theme would continue throughout the game.
Tulsa wasted little time in tying the score. With two outs and the bases empty in the bottom half of the first, Gelof matched Roccaforte with a solo home run, to make it a 1-1 game.
Another long ball in the second inning put the Drillers in front. Frank Rodriguez’s two-run homer gave Tulsa a 3-1 lead.
The rest of the offensive production from the Drillers came courtesy of Gelof. His second home run in the fifth inning upped the lead to three runs.
Gelof’s third homer came in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run shot that just cleared the centerfield fence out of the reach of a leaping Roccaforte, giving Tulsa a 6-1 cushion.
Martin took advantage of the Gelof’s big night, turning in the longest outing of the season for a Tulsa pitcher.
After Roccaforte’s leadoff homer, Martin kept the Naturals off the scoreboard until the eighth inning when another solo home run, this one from Justin Johnson, made the score 6-2.
Martin got the final out of the eighth on a 97 m.p.h. called strike three, ending his outing. The right-hander was charged with the two runs on six hits. He walked just one batter and struck out seven.
It marked the first time that a Tulsa pitcher has thrown eight complete innings in a game since Chris Campos did it on August 7, 2024 in what was a 2-1 loss to Arkansas.
Gelof’s big night was the first three-homer game for a Tulsa batter since Jeter Downs did on September 11, 2019 in Game 2 of the Texas League Championship Series in Amarillo.
GAME NOTES
*Gelof now has 21 home runs on the season, tying him with Zyhir Hope for the team lead. It was the third straight multi-hit game for Gelof who has hit safely in seven of his last eight games.
*Hope was 2-4 in the contest and has hit safely in nine of his last ten games. In 21 games in July, Hope is hitting .369 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI.
*Rodriguez also continued his own hot streak. His homer was his seventh of the season, and he is hitting .284 over his last 18 games.
*Martin’s impressive outing gave him his fifth win of the year, improving his record to 5-3. His seven strikeouts were his season high.
*Tulsa had four runners thrown out attempting to steal in the game by Naturals catcher Connor Scott. Scott was a first-round draft pick of the Miami Marlins in 2018.
*Kelvin Ramirez needed just nine pitches to work a 1-2-3 ninth inning in relief of Martin. Ramirez has a 0.68 ERA over his last ten games.
UP NEXT
The Drillers and Naturals will be back in back action on Thursday night at ONEOK Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the pitching matchup is expected to be:
NW Arkansas – RHP Drew Beam (5-9, 6.41 ERA)
Tulsa – LHP Adam Serwinowski (7-4, 5.48 ERA)