Baseball Cannot Overcome SLU’s Seventh-Inning Surge in 8-5 Loss Tuesday

Tuesday, February 21

Hammond, La.

6:00 p.m.

Tulane University

1-3

Southeastern Louisiana

2-1

Tulane

Southeastern La.

Baseball Cannot Overcome SLU’s Seventh-Inning Surge in 8-5 Loss Tuesday

Feb 21, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

Box Score

HAMMOND, La. – Tulane hit four home runs Tuesday night, but a six-run seventh inning gave Southeastern Louisiana an 8-5 win over the Green Wave at Alumni Field.

First baseman Hunter Williams went deep twice, while third baseman Hunter Hope and second baseman Jake Willsey also homered for the Green Wave, which fell to 1-3. Hope hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Willsey and Williams homered in the seventh to extend the lead to 5-2.

The Lions (2-1) scored six runs on five hits in the bottom of the seventh, including a three-run home run by second baseman Carson Crites that made the difference in the game.

"For six innings and a half innings, it was going our way," Tulane head coach Travis Jewett said. "We came out with a little bit of offense, which was good to see. The long ball propelled us to the lead. We went with the matchups, and if I had a chance to do it all over again, I'd do the same thing. Good hitters do what they did tonight and take advantage of mistakes."

Williams, batting second in the lineup, went opposite field twice for his first two home runs of the season. He quickly put Tulane on the board with a solo shot to right field in the top of the first. His homer to right center in the seventh followed two batters behind Willsey, and gave the Green Wave a three-run cushion. That was Willsey's first homer of the season.

Southeastern took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second with a pair of unearned runs on a sacrifice fly and a triple after an error started the inning.

Tulane re-took the lead in the fourth on Hope's two-run homer, his first of the year. Jeremy Montalbano began the inning with a soft chopper toward first base that settled for a base hit. The senior catcher threw out an SLU baserunner attempting to steal second base to end the eighth inning, the sixth time in four games he has caught an opposing runner stealing.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Lions started the inning with a walk and three straight hits, including a run-scoring double and a two-run single. A two-out base hit was followed by the home run that made the score 8-5.

Green Wave freshman Chase Solesky made his first career start and went 5.0 innings, and allowed two unearned runs on three hits, with a walk and three strikeouts to finish with a no decision.

Senior Christian Colletti relieved Solesky and retired the side in the sixth, leaving the game with a runner on first in the seventh. Junior Sam Bjorngjeld (0-2), who took the loss, and sophomore Brandon Issa followed in the seventh inning. Freshman Robert Price faced the minimum in the eighth inning.

Southeastern's Bryce Tassin (1-0) earned the win, pitching 5.0 innings in relief of starter Payton Robinson.

The Green Wave continues the road swing with a series at UC Santa Barbara this weekend. Games are slated for 4 p.m. CT Friday, 4 p.m. CT Saturday and 3 p.m. CT Sunday, and can be heard on 88.3 FM WRBH.

"(Rebounding) is all we can do," Jewett said. "I'm not used to this, and I don't think the players are either. Nobody is in this by themselves. You have the old saying, 'tough times don't last, but tough people do,' and hopefully we have some toughness. We have something staring us down – we have to go to California and face a Santa Barbara team that I'm sure will be ready to play, but hopefully we will too."

Follow Green Wave Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter and Facebook.

Southeastern La. 8, Tulane 5 (Feb 21, 2017 at Hammond, La.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tulane.............. 100 200 200 - 5 9 1 (1-3)
Southeastern La..... 020 000 60X - 8 8 1 (2-1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Tulane - SOLESKY, Chase; COLLETTI, Christian(6); BJORNGJELD, Sam(7);
ISSA, Brandon(7); PRICE, Robert(8) and MONTALBANO, Jeremy. Southeastern La. - Robinson, P.;
Tassin, Bryce(5) and Wasinger, Daniel.
Win-Tassin, Bryce(1-0) Loss-BJORNGJELD, Sam(0-2) T-2:44 A-1582
HR TLN - WILLIAMS, Hunter 2 (2); HOPE, Hunter (1); WILLSEY, Jake (1).
HR SLU - Crites, Carson (1).
Weather: Partly Cloudy 66, WSW 1 mph
COLLETTI faced 1 batter in the 7th.
BJORNGJELD faced 3 batters in the 7th.