Tulsa, OK – For the first time in nearly three weeks, the Tulsa Drillers have lost consecutive games. The Drillers overcame an early four-run deficit on Saturday night to take a temporary lead over Amarillo, but the Sod Poodles scored three straight runs to retake a lead they never lost and recorded a 7-6 victory at ONEOK Field.
It marks the first two-game losing streak for the Drillers since they dropped four straight games to open the month of August. With one-game remaining in their 12-game home stand, Tulsa now has a 7-4 record in the stand
The Drillers fell 2 ½ games behind first-place Springfield in the second-half division race. The Cardinals were tied 1-1 with Arkansas on Saturday night when the game was suspended in the seventh inning by weather.
The scoring started early between the Drillers and Sod Poodles. Tulsa starting pitcher Patrick Copen retired two of the first three hitters in the top of the first inning before consecutive two-out singles gave the Sod Poodles the first run of the night. With runners still at the corners, Angel Ortiz made it a four-run first inning with his sixth home run of the season.
The Drillers got one of the runs back when Taylor Young led off the bottom of the first with his fourth Double-A home run of the year.
Tulsa took the lead when it matched Amarillo’s four-run first inning in the bottom of the second. Kole Myers opened the inning with a double before Joe Vetrano singled and Jose Izarra walked to load the bases. Chris Newell cleared them when he delivered Tulsa’s seventh grand slam of the season. It was Newell’s 20th homer of the year, and it gave the Drillers a 5-4 lead.
Amarillo offered an immediate response in the top of the third. Cristofer Torin led off with a ground-rule double and scored to tie the game on a one-out single from Jansel Luis. Luis stole second to set up a run-scoring single from Alberto Barriga that put the Sod Poodles back in front, 6-5.
After all the early offense, the game’s next run did not come until the eighth inning. Avery Owusu-Asiedu hit his second homer of the season leading off the top of the eighth to increase Amarillo’s lead to two runs.
Jake Gelof cut the deficit back to one run with his 26th home run of the year leading off the bottom half of the eighth.
It would be the final hit of the night for the Drillers. Lefthander Carlos Rey retired the next six hitters in order give Tulsa its second straight defeat.
GAME NOTES
*Tulsa’s season win total remains at 75, three victories short of matching the franchise record of 78 wins.
*It was a case of missed opportunities for the Drillers as they had runners on base throughout the game on 9 hits and 11 walks from Amarillo pitchers. The Drillers stranded 12 runners on base, going 2-13 with runners in scoring position.
*Newell is in his fourth full season in Minor League Baseball, and he has now hit 20 home runs in each one.
*Two Tulsa players left the game with apparent injuries. Young appeared to injure himself diving to make a backhanded stop in the top of the third inning. He finished that half inning before Jake Gelof pinch-hit for him in the bottom of the third.
Reliever Lucas Wepf faced only two hitters in the ninth before being taken out after appearing to injure himself running to cover first base on a ground ball to first.
*Josue De Paula walked twice but was held without a hit in three official at-bats, snapping the outfielder’s six-game hitting streak.
*Owusu-Asiedu’s solo home run in the eighth inning came against reliever Jacob Kmatz. It was the first run that Kmatz has allowed since joining the Drillers roster, ending his streak of 7 2/3 scoreless innings. The reliever was acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers from Tampa Bay at the trading deadline.
*Copen suffered the loss, dropping his season record to 7-7. After the early runs from the Sod Poodles, Copen settled in and worked six complete innings and held Amarillo scoreless over his final three frames.
UP NEXT
The Drillers will wrap up their longest home stand of the season on Sunday afternoon in the series finale with the Sod Poodles. First pitch for the finale is slated for 12:05 p.m. and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
Amarillo – RHP Wellington Aracena (0-0, 9.00 ERA)
Tulsa – RHP Roque Gutierrez (7-1, 4.73 ERA)