Drillers End Losing Skid With Rout

Well that's one way to kick an eight-game losing streak.

The Tulsa Drillers put an end to their season-worst skid with a 12-5 beat down of the Arkansas Travelers on Friday night in Little Rock, Ark.

Tulsa didn't waste any time getting to business either, putting three runs on the board in the first inning starting with an RBI single by Kyle Parker to score Jaron Shepherd. Tyler Kuhn got run No. 2 in the book when he grounded out to second base, allowing Parker to cross the plate from third. The third run of the inning came off a fly-ball RBI double from Angelys Nina to score Kiel Roling.

However, the rout wasn't on quite yet.

Arkansas closed the gap in the bottom of the second when Carlos Ramirez crushed a line drive into left field to score two runs and then Ryan Jones hit a solo-shot homer in the fourth to knot things up at 3-3.

But the Drillers came right back with two runs of its own in the top of the fifth. Cristhian Adames put Tulsa back on top with an RBI double before Roling connected on an RBI single to re-claim a two-run advantage.

Then Parker created more distance in the seventh with a two-run shot over the wall in right-center field to give Tulsa a 7-3 lead.

Arkansas was able to pull back with two runs in the bottom of the inning but a five-run eighth from the Drillers put away any real doubt about the outcome.

Delta Cleary hit a ground-rule double on a fly ball to right-center field, scoring both Tyler Kuhn and Nina to re-establish a four-run cushion. Adames tacked on two more runs with a liner to center, driving in Dustin Garneau and Cleary for an 11-5 lead.

Parker put an end to the scoring with a triple to score Adames and give the Drillers a decisive and welcomed victory – the club's first since July 1.

Christian Bergman picked up the victory on the mound with a solid six innings, allowing seven hits and three runs with five strike outs.

The Drillers will try for a second-straight win on Saturday when the two clubs face off again at 7:10 p.m.