Tulsa Drillers Finish Series With Four-Run Win

Tusla ended a brief road trip with a 6-2 victory.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:55 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa Drillers Finish Series With Four-Run Win

Originally Published: Aug 27, 2010 10:29 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – The Tulsa Drillers got off to a slow start Friday, but finished strong in a 6-2 victory over the Arkansas Travelers.

The Travelers (53-77) started the game’s scoring in the bottom of the first, when Roberto Lopez delivered an RBI single. Meanwhile, the Drillers (63-66) suffered through 1-2-3 innings in each of the first three frames.

But Tulsa finally built some momentum in the fourth inning. After a leadoff single, Charles Blackmon followed with an RBI double to tie the game. Blackmon scored on a ground ball later in the inning to give the Drillers their first lead.

That advantage did not last long, as Lopez led off the bottom of the inning with a home run to tie the game again. Both teams were held off the board in the fifth, but the Drillers pulled away in the sixth.

Tulsa’s first four batters of the inning all reached base, scoring one run and loading the bases. With the bases loaded again later in the inning, Scott Beerer hit a sharp ground ball to first that drove in a run. The Travelers tried to turn an inning-ending double play, but the throw got away and allowed an unearned run to score and give Tulsa a 5-2 lead.

Jordan Pacheco added a solo home run in the eighth to put the Drillers up by four, and the Tulsa pitchers took care of the rest.

Greg Reynolds (4-2) earned the win after holding Arkansas to two runs on six hits in six innings of work. Tyler Chatwood (4-6) surrendered five runs – four of them earned – on six hits in a losing effort.

The victory finished the Drillers’ brief road trip, and they will return to ONEOK Field to host the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.