Venable Hits Walk-Off, Dodgers Win As Playoffs Inch Closer

Will Venable hit a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the Oklahoma City Dodgers to a 5-4 walk-off win against the Memphis Redbirds Tuesday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

With runners at second and third base, Venable sent a fly ball to right-center field to score Alex Hassan from third base for the winning run.

The walk-off win was the fifth of the season for Oklahoma City and third walk-off win in the last two weeks.

With the victory, the Dodgers (76-60) tied their current four-game series against Memphis, 1-1.

Oklahoma City took the first lead in the back-and-forth game.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Dodgers starting pitcher Roy Merritt hit an infield single to bring home O’Koyea Dickson for the Dodgers’ first run of the night. Memphis shortstop Matt Williams was charged with an error on the play allowing Corey Brown to also score for a 2-0 Oklahoma City lead.

A RBI groundout by Memphis’ Breyvic Valera cut the Dodgers lead to 2-1 in the third inning.

After facing one batter in the sixth inning, Merritt exited the game with an apparent injury and was replaced by Jacob Rhame. In his second appearance and first start with the Dodgers, Merritt allowed two runs and four hits over five innings with three walks and two strikeouts.

Later in the sixth inning, the Redbirds’ David Washington hit a two-run homer out to left field to put Memphis ahead, 3-2.

Oklahoma City tied the game, 3-3, on a RBI groundout by Dickson in the bottom of the sixth inning. Drew Maggi later hit a two-out RBI double into center field to put the Dodgers in front, 4-3.

Memphis’ Patrick Wisdom grounded into a double play in the eighth inning, allowing another run to score for Memphis and tie the game, 4-4.

Oklahoma City reliever Ralston Cash (4-0) earned the win for the Dodgers, pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

Redbirds starting pitcher Jeremy Hefner, from Perkins, Okla., allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits over 5.2 innings with three walks and five strikeouts.

Memphis reliever John Brebbia (2-3) was charged with the loss, allowing the game-winning run in the ninth inning.

The Redbirds’ record fell to 63-74 with the loss.

Venable, Dickson and Brown all finished with multi-hit games for Oklahoma City, which outhit Memphis, 11-10.

The Dodgers continue their final home series of the regular season against Memphis at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

The American Northern Division champion Dodgers will play the American Southern Division champion Nashville Sounds in a best-of-five playoff series beginning Wednesday, Sept. 7 in Oklahoma City. The Dodgers will host the first two games of the series Sept. 7-8 before the series shifts to Nashville for the final three games of the series.