Drifters Late Comeback Falls Short, Drop Series Opener to Bellingham 10-6 in Extras

Photo by Alyssa Garcia

By Addison Cerezo

SPRINGFIELD – After losing their second straight series to open the 2026 season, the Springfield Drifters (1-6, 1-5) looked to turn a new leaf Friday night, as they began a three-game set against the defending West Coast League champs, the Bellingham Bells (4-3, 3-3). Despite trailing 5-0 early, the Drifters showed some resilience, scoring five unanswered runs, but after squandering multiple chances to take the lead or win the game late, a four-run 12th inning by Bellingham proved to be the difference, as the Drifters fell to the Bells 10-6 to drop their sixth game of the season. 

“It was pretty intense down til the very end,” Head Coach Jeff Lyle said. “I’m proud of the guys. We showed some things we haven’t shown yet. We threw the ball well tonight and we gave ourselves a chance.”

Ahead of the series opener, the Drifters received a major boost with Michigan second baseman Cooper Mullens making his highly anticipated return to Springfield. Mullens, who returns to Springfield for his fourth season with the Drifters, has built a lasting legacy in Springfield as the club's all-time leader in games played, at-bats, doubles, runs batted in, and walks. 

“Having Cooper Mullens back setting the table is absolutely huge,” Lyle said.

Mullens, who batted in the leadoff spot in his return, finished 3-for-4 with three RBI’s in his return to Hamlin Sports Complex. 

“He’s just been there and done that,” Lyle said. “Whether that be here or at Michigan, he’s a great guy for a lot of our younger players to learn from.”

The early game brought a pitcher’s duel. Bushnell’s sophomore lefty Tristan Mallari looked sharp to begin the game, utilizing all four of his pitches to get outs. After setting the first six Bells down in a row, Mallari surrendered a leadoff double to the Bells’ designated hitter, Jake Lyall, who came around to score on a wild pitch for the game's first run.

An inning later, the Bells’ left fielder Jorge Olivera-Gutierrez singled, stole second and third, and scored on a ground out to double Bellingham’s lead. 

Meanwhile, the Drifters had sent the minimum up through three innings and desperately needed some traffic on the bases. Queue Mullens. After working a full count and battling to get his pitch, he lined a fastball over the Bells’ second baseman’s head for the first Springfield hit of the evening — their only hit until the sixth inning. 

The Drifters’ pitching faltered in the fifth, allowing a single, a walk and a catcher’s interference to load the bases. A four-pitch walk extended the defending champs’ lead to three, ending Mallari’s day. 

Bushnell’s senior right-hander Blake Stavros entered the ballgame for Mallari, appearing for the 40th time in his Springfield Drifters career to break Billy Dotson’s record for appearances by a pitcher all time. Two more runs came into score — both credited to Mallari — as Stavros calmed the storm and kept the damage at just three for the inning. 

Mullens played hero again in the sixth inning, driving in two runners with his second hit of the evening, putting the Drifters on the board and igniting the offense.

“He’s cool, calm, collected,” Lyle said. “He’s been in those situations a ton here with the Drifters.”

In the seventh, Mullens picked up his third hit of the game, driving in Kahaku Harrison to bring the Drifters within two. One batter later, Oregon Tech third baseman Nick Gimino put the ball in play and picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice to cut the lead to one. Gimino immediately stole second and scored on an RBI single from Portland’s junior first baseman Nolan Miller, knotting the game at five. 

Shutdown pitching from both teams kept the score tied for the next two innings and sent the game into extras with each team trading a run in the tenth. Drifters pitcher Michael Klein pitched three dominant innings, striking out seven batters and only allowing one hit in the ninth, 10th, and 11th innings.

“He sprinted down to the bullpen and loosened up in a couple of pitches, came out and was electric,” Lyle said. “He’s the guy we want on the bump for those situations.”

Klein struck out the side in the top of the 11th, but the Drifters weren’t able to capitalize in the bottom half of the inning, stranding two runners in scoring position. 

In the 12th, Bellingham scored four runs on three hits to take a 10-6 lead and hung on to give the Drifters their sixth loss in their first seven games of the season. 

Game 2 of the three-game series will take place on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. Join the Drifters on Saturday for their first of three fireworks shows this summer and kick off your summer with a bang.

Tickets for Saturday’s game can be bought online at Driftersbaseball.com. Please note that kids 12 and under do not receive free admission for Drifters fireworks nights. The game will be streamed on theSpringfield Drifters YouTube Channel.