Angst-Filled Tulsa Drillers Demolish Wichita Wranglers 12-0 - AA, Texas League

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MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - It has been a tough week for the Tulsa Drillers. The Drillers had lost five of their past six games and had seen their first half title hopes ended. Sunday afternoon, the Drillers took out some of their frustrations on the Wichita Wranglers with a 12-0 win.

Tulsa scored early and often, collecting at least two runs in each of their first four innings, to coast to a big victory. Not to be outdone, Ryan Mattheus (4-4) pitched perhaps his best game of the season. Mattheus threw seven innings of scoreless baseball, surrendering only four hits while striking out seven Wranglers. The Drillers big day began in the first inning with a pair of doubles by Jonathan Herrera and Christian Colonel for the first run of the game. Colonel later scored on a throwing error by Wichita shortstop Valentino Arce. Colonel collected his 23rd double of the season tying Springfield’s Colby Rasmus for the lead in the Texas League.

The top of the second was a defensive showcase as Jordan Czarniecki made an outstanding diving catch to rob a possible extra base hit while Colonel and Herrera combined to turn a difficult double play to end the inning and a Wranglers’ scoring threat. Aaron Rifkin led off the bottom of the second with a double of the right field wall. Chris Frey reached on a throwing error by Arce, allowing Rifkin to advance to third. Rick Guarno doubled home Rifkin, while Frey advanced to third. Tulsa’s third double of the inning came from Corey Wimberly who plated both Frey and Guarno to up the lead to 5-0.

Rifkin and Jordan Czarniecki blasted back-to-back home runs to make it 7-0 in the third. The home runs where Rifkin’s seventh and Czarniecki’s third of the season. Wimberly and Herrera each reached on Arce’s third and fourth errors of the game. Wimberly eventually scored on a Matt Marci sacrifice fly, while Herrera came home on Colonel’s seventh home run of the season.

Rick Guarno made it 11-0 in the bottom of the eighth, blasting his fourth home run of the season. Herrera added to the inning by hitting his second double of the game and scoring on a Macri RBI single. Tulsa was paced by Rifkin, Guarno and Colonel, who each doubled and homered, while Herrera collected two doubles and single. For the game the Drillers pounded out ten extra base hits, including four home runs and six doubles.