LITTLE ROCK — It was singles night for the Arkansas Travelers on Friday at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
The Travelers managed nine hits - all singles - but fell 3-1 to the Tulsa Drillers in front of an announced crowd of 6,822.
One night after shutting out Springfield 4-0, Arkansas couldn’t get to Tulsa starter Keith Weiser. Weiser (8-6) gave up 1 run (unearned) on 7 hits in 7 innings and struck out 2. He did not walk a batter.
Arkansas Manager Bobby Magallanes said the Travelers weren’t able “to bring home runners in scoring position. That was the key to the ballgame tonight.”
The Travelers were 2 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left six on base Friday.
Ryan Brasier (5-9) started for Arkansas, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings. He struck out four and walked one. The right-hander tossed a no-hitter against the Drillers on April 29 at Dickey-Stephens Park
“Shoot, that’s a quality outing,” Magallanes said. “If you can get seven innings and only give up three runs, that’s a quality outing. He did an outstanding job for us, he kept us in the game.”
Bronson Sardinha hit a home run to deep center field to give the Drillers a 1-0 lead in the first. In the second, Jason Van Kooten hit a one-out triple to right-center and scored on Scott Beerer’s sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Brasier retired nine consecutive until giving up a leadoff single to Charles Blackmon in the sixth. Blackmon stole second. After Sardinha flied out, Wilin Rosario walked to put runners on first andthird with one out. Jeff Kindel drove in Blackmon with a sacrifice fly as Tulsa took a 3-0 lead.
The Travs scored their only run in the sixth when Tyson Auer came home on Alexi Amarista’s fielder’s choice. But Charlton Jimerson grounded into his second double play of the game to end the Travs’ threat.
This is the third weekend series the Travs and Drillers have played, but the first series in North Little Rock since May 13-16. The Travs and Drillers scored a combined 56 runs in their four-game series last weekend at Oneok Field in Tulsa.
“This ballpark, you don’t score too many runs in this ballpark,” Magallanes said. “The two pitchers pitched well, and it was a pitcher’s game tonight.”
Since returning home Tuesday, Arkansas has scored two runs or less in three of its past four games.
“We’re going through a funk right now,” Magallanes said. “But guys are working hard, and we have to come back and get them tomorrow.”
Sports, Pages 23 on 07/31/2010