Travelers clinch first-half title after power display

TRAVELERS 11, DRILLERS 7

The Arkansas Travelers clinched the Texas League North Division first-half championship with an 11-7 victory over the Tulsa Drillers on Sunday at ONEOK Field in Tulsa.

The Travs will play in the Texas League playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Arkansas scored eight runs in the second inning, one run in the third and two in the fifth for an 11-0 lead.

Evan White went 3 for 5 with a two-run home run and scored 2 runs. Nick Zammarelli finished 2 for 5 and hit a three-run home run.

Andrew Moore, who made a spot start for the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park in Seattle and allowed 4 runs in 42/3 innings, did not allow a hit until the sixth inning Sunday for the Travs. Moore (1-0) allowed 4 runs on 3 hits in 51/3 innings and struck out 4 while walking 1.

The Travs took an 8-0 lead in the second inning on nine hits.

Dom Thompson-Williams doubled to lead off the second. Jordan Cowan’s two-run home run gave the Travs a 2-0 lead. Logan Taylor walked, then moved to second on Joseph Odom’s single. Zammarelli hit his seventh home run, this one a three-run shot, for a 5-0 advantage with no one out.

Donnie Walton singled, then White hit a two-run home run to make it 7-0. Two batters later, Jake Fraley homered for the 11th time this season for an 8-0 lead.

The Travs made it 9-0 in the third inning on Kyle Lewis’ ground-rule double, which scored Walton. Arkansas added two runs in the fifth for an 11-0 lead thanks to Fraley’s second home run of the game, this one a two-run shot.

Tulsa scored all seven of its runs in the sixth inning to pull within 11-7.

Gavin Lux and Logan Landon each had two hits for the Drillers.