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A great day for the Dodger minor league affiliates. Tulsa wins the North Division and advances to the Texas League Championship Series and Ogden wins to take 1-0 lead in their best-two-out-of-three series against Orem.
Player of the day
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Dennis Santana saved his best start as a Tulsa Driller for their biggest game of the season. Santana pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up just three singles and two walks. Santana struck out 11, which was a 2017 team high for the Drillers.
Double-A - Tulsa
The Drillers got huge pitching performance from Santana, and added some timely hitting to beat the NW Arkansas Naturals (Royals) 6-1 on Sunday at Tulsa.
The win put the Drillers in the Texas League Championship series against the Midland RockHounds (Athletics), which is set to start on Tuesday at Midland. The best three-out-of-five series will play the first two games at Midland and then next three at Tulsa, Games 4 and 5, if necessary.
Santana, who has been an All-Star in both the Midwest and California Leagues, allowed just three hits and two walks in seven innings. His 11 strikeouts were a season-high for the Drillers.
Peter O’Brien doubled home two runs in the second inning to give the Drillers the early lead. Erick Mejia hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning.
In the eighth inning, Kyle Garlick singled home Yusniel Diaz to make it 5-0 and later, Erick Mejia hit a sacrifice fly to score the Drillers’s sixth run.
The Naturals scored a run after getting three straight hits to start the ninth inning. But then two relievers, Daniel Corcino retired all three batters he faced to end the game and the series.
Rookie Pioneer - Ogden
The Raptors scored at least one run in the first four innings and went on to beat the Orem Owlz (Angels) 9-4 to take the first game of their best-two-of-three playoff series. The series now moves to Orem for Game 2 and if necessary, Game 3.
In the first inning, Luis Paz walked with the bases-loaded to give the Raptors their first run. Brayan Morales doubled home two runs to make it 3-0.
With two out and two on in the bottom of the second, Romer Cuadrado singled home a run. Paz then tripled home two runs and Paz then scored on a Morales single.
The Raptors scored single runs in the third and fourth inning to lead 9-0 after four innings.
The Owlz scored a run in the sixth and three more runs in the seventh but that was it for their scoring output on Sunday.
Osiris Ramirez threw 88 pitches in five innings and he got the win for allowing no runs, four hits and three walks. Ramirez struck out three.
Miguel Urena did not get a save but he did a big job pitching the final 2⅔ innings and just giving up a sacrifice fly to allow one inherited runner to score.
Donovan Casey had three hits and scored two runs. Cuadrado, Paz, Morales and Kevn LaChance each had two hits.
Transactions
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Sunday’s scores
Tulsa 6, NW Arkansas 1 (Tulsa wins series 3-2)
Ogden 9, Orem 4 (Ogden leads series 1-0)
Monday’s schedule
5:35 p.m. PT: Ogden (TBD) at Orem (TBD)