When Tulsa third baseman Kody Hoese approached the plate with teammates on first and second in the fourth inning Friday night, the Drillers needed a spark after a 1-for-10 showing with runners in scoring position during the previous three innings.
And he delivered.
In just his second Double-A game since suffering a groin injury that sidelined him for 28 games, Hoese launched a three-run home run to left field. The blast, which gave Tulsa (42-29) a 3-0 lead, sparked his team’s offensive onslaught in its 9-3 series-tying win over the Arkansas Travelers (38-35) at ONEOK Field.
“Kody came up with a big two-out home run,” Drillers’ manager Scott Hennessey said of Hoese, who finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs. “He’s been swinging the bat good since he’s been back. … Just glad to see him back and pick up where he left off.”
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With strong support from his offense, Tulsa starting pitcher John Rooney earned his third win of the season. The left-hander was solid throughout, throwing 5⅔ innings and allowing just one run on seven hits with six strikeouts.
“He was under control,” Hennessey said of Rooney’s performance. “His pitch selection was really good, he was locating all of his pitches well. He got us into the sixth (inning) and it was just a great start. He gave us a chance to win the game.”
Hoese’s three RBIs in the fourth inning were ultimately all the Drillers needed to secure the win. However, the offense continued to pour it on. Tulsa took a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning on back-to-back home runs by first baseman Brandon Lewis and Jeren Kendall.
The offensive firepower carried into the sixth inning when the Drillers scored three runs. Right fielder Andy Pages started the frame’s two-out rally with a solo shot to left field. Pages’ home run was followed by a two-run slam courtesy of left fielder Ryan Ward.
Tulsa added its final run on an RBI groundout in the seventh inning by catcher Ryan January, who made his Double-A debut on Friday night.
Tulsa’s five home runs added to its total of 102 on the season, which ranks first in the Texas League and second in all of Double-A, just behind the Tennessee Smokies of the Southern League with 109.
“We know if they make a mistake, we got guys that can hit it out,” Hennessey said. “We had a good approach and guys put good swings on the ball tonight.”
DRILLERS 9, TRAVELERS 3
Arkansas;000;001;020;—;3;10;2
Tulsa;000;323;10X;—;9;12;0
Kolek, Kaminsky (5), Boches (6). Ellingson (7), Kuhn (8) and Sheffler; Rooney, Curtis (6), Hernandez, Varland (8), Leasure (9) and January. W: Rooney (3-2). L: Kolek (4-7). RBI: Arkansas: Marlowe 3 (48); Tulsa, Hoese 3 (25), January (1), Kendall (15), Lewis (19), Pages (42); Ward 2 (43). E: Arkansas, Scheiner (3), Frick (9). LOB: Arkansas 9, Tulsa, 9. T: 2:43 A: 6,966.