Drillers Strike Late to Rally for Fourth Straight Win

July 6, 2024 – Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release

Tulsa Drillers’ Dalton Rushing in action
(Tulsa Drillers, Credit: Tim Campbell)

TULSA, OK – Held scoreless with only one hit for the first half of the game, the Tulsa Drillers’ bats came to life in the late innings Saturday night at ONEOK Field. The Drillers scored a combined seven runs in their final three at-bats to overtake Wichita and record a 7-4 victory.

The win completed a three-game sweep of the Wind Surge and upped Tulsa’s winning streak to four straight games. The rally improved the Drillers second-half record to 8-4 and keeps them in first place in the North Division of the Texas League.

Wichita held the lead for much of the night after former Oklahoma State Cowboy Carson McCusker opened the game’s scoring with his seventh home run of the season in the top of the second inning.

The Drillers were held scoreless through the first five innings before finally getting on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs and the bases empty, Dalton Rushing was hit by a pitch. The inning almost ended abruptly when Rushing appeared to be picked off first base. But during a rundown, Wichita first baseman Aaron Sabato had the ball slip out of his glove and Rushing safely returned to first.

Sabato was charged with what proved to be a costly error because Damon Keith narrowly missed hitting an opposite-field homer when he belted a drive that caromed off the top of the four-foot wall in right field. It resulted in a double for Keith and a run for the Drillers as Rushing raced home to tie the game at 1-1.

The Drillers took the lead and control of the game with four runs in the seventh inning. Griffin Lockwood-Powell opened the rally by drawing a lead-off walk and Brendon Davis followed with a double to put runners at second and third.

Bubba Alleyne put Tulsa in front when he lined a two-run triple under the glove of right fielder Kyler Fedko, who attempted a backhanded catch.

Alleyne scored the third run of the inning on a sacrifice fly from Yeiner Fernandez. With two outs, Taylor Young drew walk and then provided the most exciting play of the game. On the next pitch, Young broke for second and Rushing grounded a base hit into right-center field.

Young never slowed down and raced all the way home to score on the single, giving the Drillers a 5-1 lead.

A two-out single with the bases loaded in the eighth inning from Alex Freeland accounted for Tulsa’s final runs.

The Wind Surge made things…