C.J. Cron (38) of Arkansas is tagged out at home by Dustin Garneau (13) during Game 2 of the Texas League playoffs between Tulsa and Arkansas on Thursday. JOEY JOHNSON/For the Tulsa World
Arkansas Travelers outfielder Cyle Hankerd’s baseball career has taken a dramatic turn during the past two months.
Hankerd, who was out of affiliated baseball for much of the season, is making the most of his opportunity after signing with the Los Angeles Angels organization in July.
On Thursday night, Hankerd’s tiebreaking three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning gave the Travelers a 4-1 victory over the Tulsa Drillers in Game 2 of the Texas League’s North Division finals at ONEOK Field.
“It’s my top moment (in pro baseball), being a playoff game,” said Hankerd, who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks after being drafted in the third round in 2006 from Southern Cal. “It’s the most clutch hit I’ve ever had.”
Arkansas will return home to North Little Rock with a 2-0 lead and can wrap up the best-of-five series on Friday night. Tulsa has only scored four runs in the first two games.
“We haven’t been doing things that we’ve been doing well all year,” Drillers manager Kevin Riggs said. “It’s definitely discouraging, but we’re still breathing, barely, but we’re breathing.”
Hankerd’s blast silenced most in the crowd of 4,036 – 50 short of the all-time Drillers record home playoff crowd of 4,086 for the 1988 finals opener. The crowd pushed the Drillers over 400,000 for the season for the second time in team history.
Hankerd, 28, also has played in the Philadelphia and Chicago White Sox organizations. He began this season with Southern Maryland in the independent Atlantic League, where he batted .322 with 22 homers and 61 RBIs in 81 games before signing with the Angels.
“Deep down I knew I had another chance in me to play affiliated ball,” Hankerd said. “I was having a good year and I knew I wasn’t too old. But it was getting late in the season so when I was signed and sent to Arkansas, I was super stoked.”
Hankerd batted .260 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 35 regular-season games for Arkansas and has been a big part of the Travelers’ 10-game winning streak.
In a 1-1 game, Drillers closer Cole White appeared to have dodged a bullet to start the ninth when Travis Witherspoon’s fly ball was caught by Tim Smalling against the left-field wall. Carlos Ramirez followed with a single but was forced out at second on Randal Grichuk’s grounder. Taylor Lindsey then walked to bring up Hankerd, who hadn’t faced White this season.
Grichuk stole third, but White was one strike and a few feet from escaping the jam. Hankerd’s foul pop landed just beyond first baseman Kyle Parker’s reach, three rows into the seats. On a 2-2 fastball, Hankerd socked an opposite-field drive that carried over the Travelers’ bullpen beyond the right-field wall and on to the lawn.
Angels pitcher Robert Coello, who joined the Travs this week on a rehab assignment, pitched a perfect eighth to pick up the win in relief of Lay Batista, who scattered six hits over seven innings. Drillers lefty Tyler Matzek pitched six innings and was harmed only by Randal Grichuk’s 11th homer in 18 games at ONEOK Field this season. The fifth-inning blast tied the game at 1.
Tulsa took its first lead of the series on Kiel Roling’s RBI double in the first, but missed a chance for a big inning when Angelys Nina grounded into a bases-loaded double play.
The Drillers are 1-10 in home playoff games since 2004. If there is hope for the Drillers, it’s that they are 8-8 at Arkansas this year compared to 6-12 at home against the Travs.
“It all comes down to how bad they want it,” Riggs said. “We’re locked up and in my opinion, playing scared. There’s nothing left to lose now so hopefully that will free them up a little bit.”
Pro - Drillers
The Tulsa Drillers didn't give up any home runs Friday night, but they were still battered by the Arkansas Travelers.
Arkansas Travelers outfielder Cyle Hankerd's baseball career has taken a dramatic turn during the past two months.
