Drillers Take Down Corpus Christi

Less than 24 hours after suffering their worst loss of the season, the Tulsa Drillers bounced back on Sunday afternoon at ONEOK Field.

The Drillers got home runs from Henry Wrigley and Kiel Roling and survived a shaky ninth inning to hang on for a 6-3 win over Corpus Christi.

Tulsa won despite its pitchers issuing eight walks in the game. In the ninth, the Hooks scored one run and had the tying run at the plate when Mike Solbach struck out the dangerous George Springer and Michael Burgess to end the game and preserve the win.

The Drillers have now won three of four games in their first homestand of the season and have two games remaining.

Sunday's contest was scoreless through the first three innings before Wrigley put the Drillers on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Angelys Nina opened the inning with a leadoff single. After Kent Matthes popped out, Wrigley hit his second home run in as many games to put Tulsa in front 2-0. The drive from the designated hitter landed in the front row of the terrace section in left field.

The Drillers scored single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to increase their lead. In the fifth, Jayson Langfels singled and eventually scored on another base hit by Nina.

They used another long ball to make it 4-0 in the sixth as Roling belted his second homer of the season deep over the left-field wall.

The Missions cut the lead in half with a pair of runs in the seventh inning off reliever Joe Gardner. After a single and a walk put runners at first and second with two outs, Springer lined a base hit into left field that scored one run. On the throw home, both runners were advancing, and when catcher Jose Gonzalez's throw to second was wild, another run crossed the plate to make it 4-2.

In the top of the ninth, the first two Hooks' batters reached safely off Isaiah Froneberger. Solbach came on and walked the first hitter he faced to load the bases with no outs. Solbach got a ground out before striking out Springer and Burgess to end the game and pick up his first save of the year.

The Drillers got both of the runs back in the bottom of the eighth. Wrigley walked and scored on a double into the right-center field gap by Roling. Kyle Parker followed with a triple that caromed off the fence in the right field corner that plated Roling to make it 6-2.

Tulsa starting pitcher Tyler Matzek, making his second Double A appearance, pitched well. The lefthander fell one out shy of qualifying for a win, allowing only two hits in 4.2 shutout innings. He walked four batters and struck out six.

Gardner picked up the win to improve his record to 2-0.

In the three victories on the homestand, Tulsa pitchers have allowed only six runs.

The two teams will play another afternoon game on Monday with a 12:05 p.m. start at ONEOK.