The Tulane baseball team (10-11) earned a hard-fought 5-2 victory over the UNO Privateers (9-13) on Tuesday, March 17, at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium to reclaim the Pelican Cup.
Solid Pitching from Tulane
Jack Brafa (2-0) started the game and went three innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four to secure the win. Blaise Wilcenski came in as the first reliever, pitching 2.2 innings, giving up four hits and one run. Jake Toporek threw 0.2 innings, allowing one run. Sam Larson pitched 2.1 innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out five. Beau Sampson was called in to retire the final batter and seal the victory.
Limited Offense but Effective
Tulane was limited to just four hits, but they capitalized on their patience at the plate, earning eight walks and getting hit by two pitches. Kaikea Harrison led the offense with two hits, a walk, and two runs scored. Tanner Chun added a run, a stolen base, and a hit by pitch. Jason Wachs walked three times and scored a run. Nate Johnson drove in two runs, also walking and scoring a run. Brett Rowell, making his first career start at Tulane, contributed a hit and an RBI.
Game Summary
Tulane jumped to an early lead, scoring four runs in the first inning. Walks to Nate Johnson, Pinkney, and Wood brought in a run each. Rowell added an RBI ground out, driving in the fourth run.
UNO rallied in the fifth inning, with Dylan Biddick scoring on a delayed double steal. Kareh Valentine then added an RBI single, bringing UNO within two runs at 4-2. Tulane added an insurance run in the eighth inning with Nate Johnson’s base hit to right field, making it 5-2.
Next Up for Tulane
Tulane continues their homestand by facing Northwestern State (13-7) on Wednesday, March 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Turchin Stadium.
Ripples:
- Jason Wachs extended his on-base streak to 47 games (from the end of last season to the first 20 games of this season) with three walks. This is a career high for Wachs.
- The win broke a five-game losing streak and a four-game losing streak to UNO.
- Brett Rowell’s hit and RBI were his first as a Tulane player.
- The 10 strikeouts by Tulane’s pitching staff marked the 10th time this season the team has reached double-digit strikeouts.
- Over the past four games, Tulane’s relief pitchers have thrown 29.1 innings while allowing just six runs and striking out 31 batters.
- The Pelican Cup is an annual trophy awarded to the winner of the Tulane vs. UNO baseball matchups. It used to be awarded to the winner of the three-game series but will now go to the winner of each individual game between the two schools.
