Comets Ride Early Power Surge to 7–3 Win Over Express
The Oklahoma City Comets used a dominant first inning and steady pitching to secure a 7–3 victory over the Round Rock Express on Tuesday night to open up their 6-game series at Dell Diamond. The Comets are just 13–15 on the season.
Oklahoma City wasted no time jumping ahead, highlighted by a two-run homer from Ryan Ward and a three-run blast by Jack Suwinski, building a 5–0 lead in the 1st inning. The Comets added another run in the second on a balk, then built the lead to 7–3 in the fifth, and the pitching staff took it across the finish line from there.
Starter Christian Romero (2–1) earned the win, allowing three runs over five innings, and the bullpen trio of Paul Gervase, Chayce McDermott, and Jerming Rosario combined for four scoreless innings with nine strikeouts to seal the victory.
Key Performances Lead the Way
Ryan Fitzgerald paced the offense at the top of the lineup, going 2-for-5 with a run scored, continuing his great season with a .344 average and .898 OPS. James Tibbs III delivered one of his most complete performances of the year, and that’s saying something. Tibbs III finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, and two doubles. The Former Florida State Seminole is hitting .308 and has an impressive 1.143 OPS.
On the mound, Paul Gervase was dominant in relief, tossing two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, and striking out four, lowering his ERA to 4.50 on the season. Jerming Rosario closed the door in the ninth inning with a clean frame, striking out two, and lowered his ERA to 7.11, which is inflated due to just a couple of bad outings.
Drillers Explode for 17 Runs in Rout of Missions at ONEOK Field
The Tulsa Drillers delivered an offensive avalanche Tuesday morning, overpowering the San Antonio Missions 17–7 in front of all the school kids, on field trip day at ONEOK Field. After falling behind early, Tulsa seized control with a four-run third inning and never looked back, piling on runs in five separate frames. The Drillers brought out their long-range artillery during the sixth and eighth innings to blow the game open.
Tulsa finished with 15 hits and 16 RBIs, while taking advantage of three Missions errors. Reliever Myles Caba (1–0) earned the win with two scoreless innings, striking out five.
Top Performers Lead Tulsa’s Offensive Surge
Chris Newell headlined the Drillers’ going 3-for-5 with two home runs, a triple, three RBIs, and three runs scored. Newell raised his average to .197 with three homers and seven RBIs. Zyhir Hope showed off his power as well, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored, improving his season totals to a .301 average with four homers and 19 RBIs. Josue De Paula contributed across the board, going 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI, bringing his season totals to .338 with two home runs and 16 RBIs. Joe Vetrano provided the knockout blow with a grand slam, finishing 1-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored, and sits at .265 with three home runs and 15 RBIs on the year. Jake Gelof also chipped in with a three-run homer as part of a 1-for-4 night, giving him five home runs and 11 RBIs this season.
Loons Explode for 18 Hits in 11–4 Rout of Chiefs
The Great Lakes Loons overwhelmed the Peoria Chiefs to start the week off at Dow Diamond, riding an 18-hit offensive barrage to an 11–4 victory. Great Lakes jumped out early with a four-run first inning and never looked back, scoring in five different frames.
Peoria briefly answered with a two-run second and a solo homer from Josh Kross in the third, but the Loons proved too deep and had too many timely extra-base hits, including a two-run homer from Logan Wagner in the fourth.
On the mound, Jakob Wright (1–0) delivered four dominant innings of relief, striking out eight without allowing a hit to shut the door. The loss went to Tanner Franklin (0–1), who surrendered five runs over 2.1 innings as the Chiefs fell to 10–11 on the season, while the Loons improved to 14–8.
Top Performers Shine in Offensive Showcase
Eduardo Quintero led the Loons’ offensive surge, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, one RBI, and a walk, lifting his season line to .188/.561. While those numbers don’t look great, he’s starting to get hot, and when/if that happens, he can turn his statistics around very fast. Nico Perez finished 3-for-4 with three runs and two doubles, and is now batting .338 with a .929 OPS on the year. Logan Wagner provided the biggest swing of the night, going 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, and two RBIs, pushing his season totals to seven homers and 16 RBIs with a .289 average and .972 OPS. Jose Meza added three hits and two RBIs in a 3-for-5 effort, raising his season line to .323/.947.
For Peoria, Tai Peete stood out with a 2-for-5 night and three RBIs, while Josh Kross chipped in with a solo home run and finished 1-for-4.
Tower Buzzers Walk It Off in Extras, Edge Storm 4–3
The Tower Buzzers rallied late and capitalized on a 10th-inning balk to secure a 4–3 extra-innings victory over the Storm on April 28 at ONT Field. After trailing early, the Buzzers took a 2–1 lead before the Storm surged ahead in the eighth on a two-run single by Bradley Frye. That lead was short-lived, however, as Ching-Hsien Ko delivered a game-tying solo home run in the ninth. In the 10th, with the automatic runner at second, a balk by Storm reliever Will Koger allowed the winning run to score. Jecsua Liborius earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, while Koger was tagged with the loss.
Top Performers
Ching-Hsien Ko led the Tower Buzzers’ offense, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, and three RBIs; he now has 3 home runs and 11 RBIs on the season while slashing .318 with a 1.037 OPS. Jaron Elkins added a 1-for-3 night with a double, two walks, two stolen bases, and a run scored, bringing his season line to a .263 average and .900 OPS with 12 steals.
For the Storm, Bradley Frye stood out, finishing 1-for-4 with two RBIs, a walk, and a stolen base, Conner Westenburg also contributed, going 2-for-3 with a double, two stolen bases—including a steal of home—and two runs scored.
