NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Tulsa Drillers didn't give up any home runs Friday night, but they were still battered by the Arkansas Travelers.
The Travelers' 5-2 victory completed a sweep in the Texas League North Division series Friday night at Dickey-Stephens Park, ending Tulsa's season with a third consecutive loss in which it couldn't slow down the Travelers' streaking bats.
"I thought we showed up and we were very tight and some of our kids showed our youthfulness in pressure situations when everything is magnified tenfold," Drillers manager Kevin Riggs said. "They handled it better than we did."
Riggs didn't even see the end, having been ejected by first base umpire Bryan Fields after arguing that Jett Bandy beat out a double play at first base in the eighth inning. Fields ruled that Dustin Garneau pulled his foot off while taking a high throw from second baseman Angelys Nina.
"It's a bad call," Riggs said. "It's a blown call that can't be made in that time of the game."
The Travs hit six home runs in the first two games before Bandy's pair of doubles buried the Drillers on Friday.
Bandy's bases-loaded double down the third-base line cleared the bases to give the Travelers a 3-0 lead, and two innings later, his double to the corner in left field drove in Kaleb Cowart to make it 4-2. The Travelers added their final run in the fifth.
It came against an unlikely pitcher, too.
Tulsa starter Eddie Butler entered Friday's game with a 0.65 ERA in six starts with the Drillers and had controlled the Travelers in a start in Tulsa on Aug. 22.
Butler got through the first inning, giving up a one-out single, but Robbie Widlansky led off the second when he reached on a Garneau error. Jimmy Swift singled and Travis Witherspoon walked to load the bases. Bandy then ripped an 0-2 pitch that was just inside the foul line to clear the bases.
Tulsa threatened for the first time when Kyle Parker hit a one-out single in the fourth, Kiel Roling walked and Nina singled to load the bases.
Garneau's sacrifice fly scored Parker and Tom Murphy's single scored Roling to make it 3-2.
But Arkansas' Mark Sappington pitched around a leadoff walk in the fifth, and four relievers gave up only two hits the rest of the game.
Bandy drove in four runs to lead the Travelers.
Texas League: Playoffs
DIVISION SERIES (Best of 5)
Arkansas 3, Tulsa 0
Wednesday: Arkansas 8, Tulsa 3
Thursday: Arkansas 4, Tulsa 1
Friday: Arkansas 5, Tulsa 2
San Antonio 2, Corpus Christi 1
Wednesday: Corpus Christi 2, San Antonio 1 (11)
Thursday: San Antonio 2, Corpus Christi 0
Friday: San Antonio 7, Corpus Christi 6
Saturday: at San Antonio, 7:05 p.m.
x-Sunday: at Arkansas, 2:10 p.m.
Texas League playoffs
Pro - Drillers
Arkansas Travelers outfielder Cyle Hankerd's baseball career has taken a dramatic turn during the past two months.
Texas League North Division finals (Game 3), Tulsa vs. Arkansas Travelers
