Dodgers Minor League Roundup: Tower Buzzers Explode for Nine Runs, Drillers Fall Short in Slugfest
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ minor league affiliates experienced a mixed night across the system Tuesday, highlighted by an offensive breakout from the Single-A Ontario Tower Buzzers and a tough extra-inning defeat for the Oklahoma City Comets. The Great Lakes Loons dropped a close contest despite collecting 10 hits, while the Tulsa Drillers nearly erased an early deficit before their bullpen faltered late in a 7-6 loss.
Ontario delivered the most complete performance of the night, pounding out 12 hits in a 9-2 win over San Jose. Emil Morales, Easton Shelton, and Joendry Vargas powered the offense, while the pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts. Tulsa’s offense showed resilience after trailing 3-0 in the first inning, with Kendall George, Josue De Paula, and Chris Newell leading a comeback effort before Springfield pulled away again. Oklahoma City was locked in a pitching duel for most of the night before Albuquerque walked it off in the 10th inning, while Great Lakes battled until the final inning but couldn’t overcome early home runs from West Michigan.
OKC Comets — Isotopes Walk Off Comets in 10th, 2-1
The Oklahoma City Comets fell to 20-19 on the season after a heartbreaking 2-1 extra-inning loss to Albuquerque at Isotopes Park.
The game turned into a pitching battle after Albuquerque grabbed an early lead in the first inning. Cole Carrigg led off with a base hit and later scored on a Sterlin Thompson RBI single, though Zach Ehrhard threw Adael Amador out at third on the same play to limit the damage.
OKC answered in the fifth when Tyler Fitzgerald reached, and Noah Miller ripped an RBI triple into right-center to tie the game at 1-1. The Comets threatened several times afterward but repeatedly came up empty, finishing 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine men on base.
The defense kept OKC alive throughout the night. Ehrhard recorded two outfield assists, including cutting down Zac Veen at the plate in the seventh inning. Ryan Ward also threw Veen out at home earlier in the game.
In the 10th inning, the Comets stranded the placed runner despite loading the bases with one out. Albuquerque scored in the bottom half when Thompson delivered a walk-off RBI single off Nick Middleton to score Carrigg and end the game.
Top Offensive Performers
Noah Miller: 1-for-4, RBI triple
Tyler Fitzgerald: 1-for-3, run scored, walk
Austin Gauthier: 1-for-2
Ryan Ward: 1-for-4
Ryan Fitzgerald: 1-for-4
Pitchers (In Order)
Logan Allen — 4.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Brusdar Graterol — 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Frasso — 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Chayce McDermott — 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Jerming Rosario — 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB
Keynan Middleton — 0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB
Quick Takeaways
The Comets wasted an outstanding bullpen effort that combined for seven scoreless innings before the walk-off. Noah Miller continued to flash extra-base ability, while the defense in the outfield was one of the biggest positives of the night. The offensive struggles with runners in scoring position remain a concern.
Tulsa Drillers — Early Hole Too Much to Overcome in 7-6 Loss
The Tulsa Drillers fell to 20-14 after dropping a back-and-forth contest to Springfield, 7-6, at ONEOK Field.
Tulsa dug itself into an immediate hole when Springfield exploded for three first-inning runs against Christian Ruebeck. Chase Davis drew a bases-loaded walk, Ryan Campos was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Travis Honeyman added an RBI forceout.
The Drillers answered in the third inning with a five-run rally sparked by Kendall George’s RBI triple and Josue De Paula’s RBI single. Chris Newell then delivered the biggest hit of the inning, lining a two-run single to right field to put Tulsa ahead 5-3.
Springfield immediately responded in the fourth inning against Maddux Bruns. Chase Davis tied the game with a two-run single before Trey Paige walked with the bases loaded to give the Cardinals the lead again. Dakota Harris later added an RBI single to cap a four-run inning.
Tulsa cut the deficit to 7-6 in the sixth when Frank Rodriguez drew a bases-loaded walk, but the bullpen combination of Austin Love and Mason Burns shut the Drillers down over the final three innings.
Top Offensive Performers
Chris Newell: 3-for-4, double, 2 RBI
Kendall George: 1-for-5, triple, RBI
Josue De Paula: 1-for-5, RBI
Elijah Hainline: 1-for-3, two walks
Frank Rodriguez: 0-for-2, RBI, two walks
Pitchers (In Order)
Christian Ruebeck — 0.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB
Evan Shaw — 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Maddux Bruns — 0.1 IP, 1 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
Carson Hobbs — 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Joel Ibarra — 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Nick Robertson — 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 K
Quick Takeaways
Tulsa’s offense showed resilience after the disastrous first inning, but the inability to limit walks proved costly. Maddux Bruns struggled badly with command, issuing four walks in just one-third of an inning. Chris Newell continued his strong offensive stretch, while Kendall George and Josue De Paula kept setting the tone near the top of the lineup.
Great Lakes Loons — Late Rally Falls Short in 4-3 Defeat
The Great Lakes Loons dropped a close game to West Michigan, 4-3, despite outhitting the Whitecaps 10-3.
West Michigan struck first in the opening inning on Garrett Pennington’s solo home run before adding another run in the third on a wild pitch. The Loons got on the board in the bottom half when Nico Perez launched his sixth homer of the season to left-center.
The Whitecaps added another run in the fifth on Bryce Rainer’s RBI single and stretched the lead to 4-1 in the seventh when Ricardo Hurtado homered off Alex Makarewich.
Great Lakes battled back late. Eduardo Guerrero doubled and scored on a Samuel Munoz RBI single in the seventh inning. In the eighth, Nico Perez and Jose Meza singled before Victor Rodrigues lined an RBI single to right field to cut the deficit to one.
The Loons put the tying run on base in the ninth but could not complete the comeback.
Top Offensive Performers
Nico Perez: 3-for-4, home run, RBI
Samuel Munoz: 2-for-4, RBI
Victor Rodrigues: 1-for-4, RBI
Eduardo Guerrero: 1-for-4, double
Mike Sirota: 1-for-4, walk
Pitchers (In Order)
Jacob Frost — 3.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Dilan Figueredo — 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Alex Makarewich — 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Accimias Morales — 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Quick Takeaways
Despite the loss, Great Lakes continued to show offensive depth with 10 hits and several quality at-bats late in the game. Nico Perez stayed red hot at the plate, while the bullpen mostly kept the Loons in striking distance. Defensive mistakes and missed opportunities early ultimately proved costly.
Ontario Tower Buzzers — Offense Explodes in 9-2 Win Over San Jose
The Ontario Tower Buzzers improved to 15-18 after a dominant 9-2 victory over San Jose.
Ontario fell behind early after San Jose scored in the third on a wild pitch, but the Tower Buzzers responded immediately in the bottom half. Easton Shelton crushed a two-run homer to left field to give Ontario a 2-1 lead before Emil Morales added an RBI double later in the inning.
The offense exploded again in the fourth. Brendan Tunink doubled, Jaron Elkins singled home a run, and Anson Aroz followed with an RBI single. Morales then ripped an RBI triple to right center before Chase Harlan capped the inning with an RBI single to stretch the lead to 7-2.
Ontario added insurance in the fifth when Jaron Elkins tripled and scored on a passed ball, then Joendry Vargas launched a solo homer in the seventh.
The pitching staff piled up 13 strikeouts and held San Jose to just five hits.
Top Offensive Performers
Emil Morales: 2-for-4, double, triple, 2 RBI
Easton Shelton: 2-for-4, home run, 2 RBI
Anson Aroz: 2-for-3, RBI, walk
Jaron Elkins: 2-for-3, triple
Joendry Vargas: 1-for-4, home run, RBI
Landyn Vidourek: 1-for-4, RBI, walk
Pitchers (In Order)
Cam Leiter — 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K
Seamus Barrett — 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 K
Mason Estrada — 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Jhonny Jimenez — 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Quick Takeaways
Ontario’s offense delivered one of its most complete games of the season. Emil Morales continues to emerge as one of the system’s hottest hitters, while Easton Shelton provided major power production in the middle of the lineup. Mason Estrada stabilized the game with four strong innings after the early scoring threat from San Jose.
System Takeaways
The Dodgers system showcased strong individual offensive performances despite the affiliates combining to go 1-3 on the night. Emil Morales, Nico Perez, and Chris Newell all continued productive stretches at the plate, while Noah Miller and Kendall George delivered key extra-base hits in close games.
Pitching was a mixed bag throughout the system. Oklahoma City’s bullpen was excellent despite the loss, and Ontario’s staff overwhelmed hitters with 13 strikeouts. Tulsa’s control problems proved costly, while Great Lakes could not fully recover from early home run damage.
The biggest positive across the system was the continued emergence of young offensive talent. Several Dodgers prospects delivered impact swings in high-leverage moments, and multiple affiliates showed resilience even in defeat.
