The Tulsa Drillers lost 9-7 on a walk-off homer by Springfield's Jesus Baez in Game 1 of the Texas League North Division Playoff Series. Baez's two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday, Sept. 15, capped Springfield's third comeback of the night at Route 66 Stadium.
The Drillers trail 1-0 in the best-of-three series and must win Thursday, Sept. 17, at ONEOK Field to keep their season alive. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
Seven home runs flew out of the park, four off Drillers bats. Taylor Young led off the game with a homer, and Griffin Lockwood-Powell went deep in the second inning.
Joe Vetrano added an RBI triple in the fourth to push Tulsa's lead to 3-0, but Springfield's Jack Gurevitch erased that cushion with a three-run shot in the bottom of the inning. The Drillers couldn't make any lead stick after that.
Mike Sirota, who played in just four of Tulsa's last 12 regular-season games because of injuries, belted a two-run homer in the seventh to put the Drillers back ahead 5-4.
Chuck Davalan, a University of Arkansas product promoted from High-A Great Lakes for the playoffs, crushed a 428-foot, two-run shot in the eighth at 107.4 mph off the bat. That gave Tulsa a 7-5 lead with six outs to go.
Springfield answered both times. Cade McGee tied it with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth. Then Baez, who finished with three hits and three RBI, launched a home run off reliever Carson Hobbs to end it in the ninth.
Between the homers, Springfield reliever Randel Clemente struck out six consecutive Drillers batters to close the eighth and ninth innings. After the sixth strikeout, Clemente fired an invisible arrow from the mound and danced his way to the first-base dugout, according to the Drillers' game recap.
Tulsa starter Adam Serwinowski blanked Springfield on one hit through three innings but gave up a three-run homer in the fourth. His first eight pitches of the fifth missed the strike zone, ending his night.
Manager Eric Wedge turned to Payton Martin, the lone Tulsa reliever who did not allow a run. Martin worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings. The rest of the bullpen gave up five runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
The Drillers set a franchise record with 88 wins this season, the most by a Tulsa pro team since 1968. They held a 10-8 edge over Springfield during the regular season, though the Cardinals went 7-5 at ONEOK Field. Springfield also swept Tulsa in two games in the 2025 North Division playoffs.
Thursday's Game 2 pits Springfield left-hander Liam Doyle (7-7, 3.76 ERA), the No. 2 prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals' farm system, against Tulsa right-hander Christian Zazueta (4-2, 3.44 ERA).
The game falls on a $3 Thursday promotion at ONEOK Field, with $3 hot dogs, 16-ounce domestic beers and cup sodas. Lawn and terrace tickets are $6; seating bowl tickets are $9.18.
If the Drillers win Thursday, a winner-take-all Game 3 is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. at ONEOK Field.
