Drillers Suffer One-Run Road Loss

Only 12 hours after playing a 14-inning game that featured a near-record number of strikeouts, the Tulsa Drillers and San Antonio Missions were back on the field Wednesday afternoon at Nelson Wolfe Stadium. It was another one-run game, and another tough loss for the Drillers.

San Antonio scored two runs in both the first and third innings to offset a pair of homers from Tulsa's Jacob Scavuzzo to post a 4-3 win in the Alamo City. The narrow victory gives the Missions wins in each of the first two games of the three-game series. San Antonio opened the series with a 2-1 win Tuesday night in a game that had a combined 42 strikeouts, one short of a Texas League record.The Missions matched their offensive output from the night before in the first inning on Wednesday. Luis Urias led off the bottom of the first with a base hit against Tulsa starter Isaac Anderson. One out later, another single by Nick Torres put runners at first and third. A passed ball allowed Urias to come home with the game's first, and Torres crossed the plate on a double by Ty France to make it a 2-0 Missions lead.

Scavuzzo tied the score in the top of the second. Matt Beaty led off with a base hit, bringing the Tulsa left fielder to the plate. Scavuzzo belted his first home run of the day over the left field fence to level the score at 2-2.

The Missions went back in front with their second, two-run inning in the third, and they used a long ball of their own to do it. With two outs and Jose Rondon on first, Franmil Reyes delivered his fourth home run of the year to put San Antonio on top 4-2.

Scavuzzo struck again in the fourth to pull the Drillers closer, hitting his second homer of the game and his sixth of the season to make it 4-3.

Tulsa would get no closer as a trio of San Antonio relievers would limit the Drillers to only three singles the rest of the way. After surrendering Scavuzzo's second home run, Adrian De Horta (1-0) allowed only one other hit in four relief innings to pick up the victory.

Rafael De Palma worked a scoreless eigth before side-arming closer Eric Yardley pitched around a two-out single by Wynston Sawyer in the ninth to end the game and pick up his third save of the year.

Anderson (0-5) was charged with the loss, surrendering the four runs on seven hits in five innings of work, his longest outing of the year.

Michael Johnson worked two scoreless relief innings, and Tim Shibuya pitched a perfect eighth inning in back of Anderson.

Tulsa will look to salvage the final game of the series Thursday night. Ivan Vieitez (1-2, 3.86 ERA) will pitch the finale for the Drillers against Michael Kelly (3-1, 2.84 ERA) of the Missions. Starting time in San Antonio is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.