Arkansas Travelers Top Tulsa Drillers 7-3 - AA, Texas League

MLN - THE RAW FEED - www.mlntherawfeed.com - NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARK. - The Tulsa Drillers season high five-game winning streak came to a halt Saturday night with a 7-3 loss to the Arkansas Travelers in North Little Rock.  The loss, combined with Northwest Arkansas' victory over Springfield, trimmed Tulsa's first-place lead in the North Division standings to 2.5 games.
 
As they have done in the previous two games of the series, the Drillers took an early lead on Saturday.  With one out in the top of the first inning, Corey Wimberly singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch.  He scored on a base hit by Tony Blanco to put Tulsa in front 1-0.
 
The Travs tied it in the bottom of the second as Adam Morrissey walked and moved to third on a double by Corey Smith.  Needing only one more out to escape the jam, Tulsa starter Alan Johnson uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Morrissey to come home with the tying run.
 
It stayed 1-1 until Arkansas took its first lead of the series in the fifth

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inning.  Adam Greenburg produced a two-run single and eventually scored himself on a base hit by Chris Pettit that put the Travelers on top 4-1.
 
An RBI single by Eduardo Cornejo pulled the Drillers to within two runs in the top of the sixth, but another run-scoring hit by Greenburg restored the Travelers three-run lead.
 
Both teams added runs in the eighth inning.  Eric Young Jr. pulled the Drillers to within 5-3 with a single that scored Justin Nelson, who had walked. 
 
Brian Stavisky put a damper on any comeback hopes by the Drillers with a long, two-run homer over the centerfield wall in the bottom of the eighth that made the final score 7-3.  It was only the fourth ball to ever clear the centerfield fence at Dickey-Stephens Park, which is in its second year of existence. 
 
The two teams will play the final game of their four-game series Sunday night.  Brandon Hynick (5-6, 5.20 ERA) will pitch for Tulsa against Dan Denham (6-8, 3.94 ERA) of Arkansas.  Starting time in North Little Rock is scheduled for 6:00PM.

 

NOTE:  Colorado Rockies' pitcher Kip Wells is expected to make an injury rehabilitation start for Tulsa Wednesday night at Drillers Stadium.  Wells began the year in Colorado's starting rotation, but he is recovering from a blood clot in his pitching hand. 

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