HOUSTON, Texas–Junior first baseman Mark Hamilton went 2-for-3 with a
double, a home run and four RBI, and junior Tim Guidry came off the
bench to post a pair of hits and drive in three as the Tulane
University
baseball team evened the Conference USA series at Houston with an 8-4
win Saturday evening at Cougar Field.
All four of Hamilton’s RBI came in the first three innings, and Guidry
posted a pinch-hit, two-run single in the seventh before smoking an
RBI-double to left in the ninth to account for the final score. Junior
right hander Brandon Gomes (4-4) gave the Green Wave a solid 5.2-inning
start, striking out four and giving up four runs on six hits and a pair
of walks. Sophomore Trey Martin allowed just one hit in an inning and
a third stint, and junior closer Daniel Latham posted a pair of strikeouts
and
allowed one hit over the final two scoreless frames to earn his sixth save
of
the year.
With the win Tulane snapped a four-game C-USA losing streak to improve
to 20-13 on the year and 3-5 in league play. Houston, meanwhile, fell
to
20-14 overall and 6-2 in C-USA action. The two teams will play the
rubber match of the series on Sunday with first pitch slated for 3 p.m.
The game will be broadcast live nation wide on College Sports
Television
(CSTV – Direct TV channel 610).
“We had some good at-bats early and extended the lead late,” Tulane
head
coach Rick Jones said. “Hamilton swung the bat well, and when he does
that, we have a shot to win. Martin pitched us out of a jam there in
the
sixth, and Guidry really gave us a lift in the late innings.”
The Green Wave out-hit the Cougars 12-8, and Hamilton, Guidry,
sophomore
shortstop Cat Everett and redshirt-freshman right fielder Warren
McFadded all had two hits each.
Tulane jumped out to an early 2-0 lead courtesy of Hamilton’s two-run
double in the first, but Houston cut the lead in half with a solo home
run by designated hitter Brad Lincoln in the second. The Green Wave
answered in the third, though, as Hamilton smoked a two-run bomb to
right and following a double by sophomore second baseman Brad Emaus,
McFadden came through with an RBI-single to make it a 5-1 ballgame.
The Cougars clawed their way back into the game when shortstop Travis
Cougot scored on a wild pitch in the fifth, and a pair of two-out walks
came back to haunt the Green Wave in the sixth as centerfielder Bryan
Tully ripped a two-RBI single through the left side of the infield to
cut the lead to one run.
Cougot followed by reaching on an error, but Tully was thrown out
at third on the play to thwart the rally. Tulane made the
base-running error hurt in the ensuing frame as Hamilton drew a leadoff
walk and Emaus was hit by an Aaron Brown offering to put runners at
first and second with nobody out.
From there, McFadden sacrificed the pair over, and Guidry roped a
two-run single up the middle to give Tulane some breathing room.
Following a scoreless eighth, McFadden and Guidry hit back-to-back
two-out doubles for the final run of the ballgame.
Martin, meanwhile, retired the side in order in the seventh, and after
giving up a leadoff walk in the eighth, Latham came on to pitch Tulane
out of the inning. Latham then posted a pair of strikeouts in the ninth to spark
the Tulane celebration.
Houston starter Ricky Hargrove (3-3) was saddled with the loss after
giving up five runs on eight hits and a walk through 3.0 innings, but
Barry Laird was able to keep the Green Wave off the scoreboard from the
fourth through sixth innings.
Brown did not record an out in his appearance in the seventh, and Matt
Farrington allowed Guidry’s two-run single later in the frame, and the
two doubles in the ninth.
Following Sunday’s series finale, the Green Wave returns home to Zephyr
Field on Tuesday, April 11, when they take on Nicholls State in a
“Business Fan’s Special” beginning at noon. For ticket information,
contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE. The Ticket
Office has recently returned to its usual location on the first floor
of
the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center. Tickets can also be purchased on-line
at www.TulaneGreenWave.com or www.TicketMaster.com.
|