March 19, 2008

Final Stats

BATON ROUGE, La. - The junior triumvirate of catcher Jared Dyer, second baseman Anthony Scelfo and shortstop Seth Henry tallied two hits apiece, but it was not enough as the Tulane University baseball team dropped a 7-5 decision to arch-rival LSU Wednesday evening at Alex Box Stadium.

Tulane led 5-2 after five and a half innings, but the Tigers took advantage of four hits and two walks in the bottom of the sixth to plate five runs to snap a five-game losing streak. The loss snapped the Green Wave's (13-6) five-game winning streak on the year and their three-game winning streak against LSU (12-6).

"I thought it was a well-played ballgame," Tulane head coach Rick Jones said. "We played well, we had energy, we executed and we played well defensively. We just had an inning there where what seldom happens to us happens to us. We've pitched very well out of the bullpen this year...and you have to give LSU credit. They put a couple of good swings on there and did a good job of putting a crooked number up."

Lost in the LSU comeback is the performance of junior right-hander Jonathan Garrett, who gave Tulane a gutsy 5.0-inning start. Garrett allowed two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out a quartet of Tiger hitters. The LSU offense, however, was able to chase Garrett after the fifth as they fouled off several pitches to get his pitch count up.

Tulane jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second as freshman third baseman Rob Segedin scored the game's first run on an RBI double by Henry, and junior right fielder Scott Powell ripped a two-run single up the middle to put the Green Wave ahead 3-0.

Tulane had a chance to add more runs in the stanza as LSU reliever Austin Ross walked Scelfo and plunked Dyer to load the bases with only one out, and junior designated hitter Andrew Rodgers looped a sinking liner to shallow center. LSU centerfielder Leon Landry made a shoe-top catch of Rodgers' ball and doubled-off Scelfo at second base for an inning-ending double play.

LSU got a run back in the home half of the frame as designated hitter Matt Gaudet opened the inning with a single and Landry followed with a walk. It appeared as if Tulane starter Jonathan Garrett would get out of the inning as he got the next two batters out in order, but walked nine-hole hitter D.J. LeMahieu and hit second baseman Ryan Schimpf to drive in a run.

One inning later, the Tigers made it a one-run game when left fielder Blake Dean hit a leadoff double and scored two hitters later on a one-out single by Gaudet. Tulane, however, got both runs back as Scefo scored on a botched double-play ball in the fifth and Segedin scored on an RBI-single by Scelfo in the top of the sixth to make it a 5-2 ballgame.

In the bottom of the inning, though, Jones called on freshman righty Nick Pepitone to replace Garrett, but the usually reliable rookie from Katy, Texas, got off to a rocky start. Landry opened the game-deciding stanza with an infield single and right fielder Derek Helenihi followed with a double to right. From there, Pepitone walked two straight to cut the lead to two.

Junior right-hander Trey Martin came on to try and put out the fire, but second baseman Ryan Schimpf hammered a three-run triple to right central and third basemen Michael Hollander followed with a run-scoring double down the third-base line to account for the final score.

"Nick Pepitone has been outstanding for us in a middle relief role," Jones said. "He throws a sinker ball and gets a lot of ground balls, and he's pitched us out of some really tough situations. But if you go out there enough, you're going to have a night where it doesn't go the way you want it to. He's too competitive for us to not put him right back out there again. It just didn't work the way we wanted it to tonight."

LSU used eight pitchers on the night, and the sixth hurler - Jordan Brown - earned the victory after allowing a run on three hits in 1.0 inning of work. Jared Bradford picked up his first save of the season after pitching his way around a one-out single in a scoreless ninth.

The Green Wave return to action on Friday, March 21, when they open a three-game series with Sacred Heart at 6 p.m. at the new Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. For ticket information to any of the weekend's games, or for future Green Wave athletic events, contact the Tulane University Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE or go on-line at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.