TEXAS LEAGUE

Oaks outduels Travs' starter

The Texas League's top starter to this point was upstaged by one making his Class AA debut on Wednesday.

Arkansas Travelers starter Alex Blackford held Tulsa to two runs over 5 2/3 innings, but Trevor Oaks was a bit better, as the Tulsa Drillers earned a 2-1 victory Wednesday at ONEOK Field in Tulsa.

Blackford (2-1), who entered the game with a 0.57 ERA, the lowest in the Texas League, gave up a run in the third and the fourth, which came on a Jacob Scavuzzo home run, and exited in the sixth after striking out seven batters while taking his first loss of the season.

Oaks (1-0), who was making his first start for Tulsa, held the Travs to 1 run on 6 hits and struck out 4 over 6 innings while earning his first victory.

Tulsa took a 1-0 lead in the third when Tyler Ogle walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and then scored on Brandon Trinkwon's single to right field.

The Drillers made it 2-0 in the fourth when Scavuzzo hit a 2-2 pitch over the fence in left field for his second home run and the first anyone had hit off Blackford this season. Blackford, who had held teams to one earned run over his first three starts, gave up a single in the sixth before being relieved and Danny Reynolds and Edward Paredes combined to pitch 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Travs never could get much going against Tulsa. Bo Way doubled with one out in the fifth, moved to third on a wild pitch and singled on Sherman Johnson's single. But, Johnson was stranded and the Travs were held to two hits the rest of the game. Eric Aguilera doubled in the sixth but was thrown out at home trying to score and Wade Wass singled in the ninth but was stranded.

CARDINALS 8, NATURALS 1

Luke Voit, Chris Jacobs and Harrison Bader each hit home runs as Springield picked up its third victory in its last four games on Wednesday at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo.

Home runs from Voit, in the third inning, and Jacobs in the fourth, came off Northwest Arkansas Naturals starter Jake Junis, who gave up 5 runs on 8 hits over 3 2/3 innings while taking his second loss. Bader's home run came in the seventh off Sam Selman and gave the Cardinals a 6-1 lead.

Andrew Morales (3-1) held the Naturals scoreless over 6 innings and struck out 4 while earning his fourth victory to tie for the Texas League lead.

The Naturals only run came in the ninth on Frank Schwindel's home run, his third of the season.

Sports on 04/28/2016

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