Ryan Ward gave Oklahoma City exactly the kind of jolt it needed on Friday night.
Back in the Comets’ lineup after being optioned, Ward turned in his loudest game of July so far, going 4-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and a single in a home win over the El Paso Chihuahuas. It was his first game with Oklahoma City since June 30, when he homered right away after the move down. He had gone seven games in July without an extra-base hit before breaking loose in a big way.
Ward accounted for three of Oklahoma City’s eight extra-base hits. Alek Thomas added to the damage with his third home run in three games, while Jack Suwinski doubled twice and drove in four runs. Austin Gauthier and Ryan Fitzgerald also chipped in doubles as the Comets kept the pressure on all night.
Christian Romero handled the middle innings well, striking out five and giving up just one run over 5 1/3 innings. That lone blemish came on a solo homer.
The finish got a little messy when Ryder Ryan came within one out of a three-inning save, only to be pulled after allowing three runs in the ninth. Jerming Rosario inherited a five-run lead with the bases loaded and the tying run on deck, then struck out Bryce Johnson to lock down the save.
Tulsa also came through at home, and Kendall George kept rolling in his return.
The Drillers beat the Springfield Cardinals behind a four-run rally that flipped the game in their favor for good. Josue De Paula had three hits and drove in a run with a double during that decisive burst. Zyhir Hope delivered the game-tying two-run single in the seventh, and he also walked and stole a base.
George continued to look sharp after missing a month with a knee injury and then getting five tune-up games with Class-A Ontario. In his first four games back with Tulsa, he has eight hits in 16 at-bats, plus three walks and three stolen bases. On Friday, he singled twice, walked, stole two bases and scored twice.
Evan Shaw finished the job in relief, tossing three scoreless, hitless innings with four strikeouts to earn the win.
At High-A Great Lakes, the Loons were undone late in a loss to the Dayton Dragons. Robby Porco worked a scoreless seventh, but two walks with one out in the eighth put him in trouble. He was pulled, and both runners came home on a single off Justin Chambers.
There were still some bright spots in the lineup. One day after his 20th birthday, Chase Harlan hit his third home run and sixth extra-base hit in 13 games since joining Great Lakes.
Emil Morales, who won’t turn 20 until September, kept raking too, finishing with a double, a single and two RBI. In four games in this series, Morales has 10 hits, five of them for extra bases, and seven RBI.
Brooks Auger had a rougher night than he’d been used to, allowing two home runs for a second straight start after not giving up any long balls in his first 10 outings. Even so, he punched out eight and finished with 66 strikeouts and 20 walks in 46 1/3 innings this season, along with a 34.2-percent strikeout rate.
Class-A Ontario took the hardest hit of the night in a blowout loss to Inland Empire. The Tower Buzzers’ pitching staff allowed crooked numbers in four different innings, and most of the damage came against Marco Estrada.
The Dodgers’ seventh-round pick out of MIT last July gave up five runs in 3 2/3 innings of relief, including two home runs, while striking out five and walking four. His season line now sits at 50 walks, 66 strikeouts and a 7.96 ERA in 57 2/3 innings.
Marlon Nieves was activated from the injured list after missing two months and gave Ontario 2 1/3 innings in an abbreviated start, allowing one run. At the plate, Easton Shelton kept padding his monster season with a three-run homer in the eighth, his league-leading 24th of the year and nine more than anyone else in the California League. Mairo Martinus also went deep for Ontario.
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