Baseball Powers Past Nicholls State, 9-3

Tuesday, April 11

Greer Field at Turchin Stadium

6:30 p.m.

Tulane University

15-18

Nicholls State

18-17

Nicholls State

Tulane

Apr 11, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

Box Score

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane baseball hit four home runs to roll out to an early lead, and defeated Nicholls State, 9-3, Tuesday evening at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

The Green Wave matched its season high with the four homers, as they improved to 15-18, while the Colonels fell to 18-17.

Hunter Williams got it started with a solo home run off the video board in the first inning, and Grant Brown blasted a two-run homer over the video board in the second. After the Colonels tied the score with three runs in the top of the third, Jarret DeHart and Hunter Hope hit back-to-back solo homers to make it 5-3 after three frames.

Brandon Issa (2-0) started the fourth inning in relief of starter Keagan Gillies, who held Nicholls scoreless for two frames. Issa tossed 4.0 shutout innings, allowing just one hit, and Christian Colletti held the Colonels to just one hit for the final two frames. Logan Alleman (0-1) took the loss for Nicholls State.

"I think we're starting to catch a rhythm offensively," Tulane head coach Travis Jewett said. "We're getting some production out of multiple guys, up and down the lineup. We're using the middle of the field, and taking advantage of opportunities in situations, and I just think we're playing good baseball that way. I liked the way the players approached the game today, and good things came for us."

Williams hit his fifth homer of the season in the first inning, and then drove in a run in the eighth on a double off the wall in straightaway center field. Kobi Owen led off the second inning with a base hit, followed by Brown's second home run of the season. DeHart put his team-leading seventh homer off the video board in the third, and Hope knocked his sixth home run of the year over the netting and palm trees in left field.

The Green Wave tacked on three runs in the sixth to extend their lead to 8-3. Hope and Owen drew walks to lead off the frame and Brown singled to left, loading the bases. Hope then scored on a wild pitch, and after a walk to Jake Willsey, Grant Witherspoon singled home a run with a looper into right center, and Kody Hoese walked home Brown.

The Colonels tied the score at three apiece in the top of the third. Nicholls loaded the bases on three straight singles, including a hit to right field, an infield hit and a bunt single. A wild pitch plated a run, and Alex Tucker drove in two runs with his single to center field.

"You don't want to be playing your best baseball right out of the gate, you want to be playing your best baseball down the stretch. If this is any indication, then I think we're going in the right direction," Jewett said of the team's 12-6 record in its last 18 games. "The thing I'm challenging the players with now, is we're showing some flashes, and I'd like to create some consistency. I don't see any reason that can't be a possibility."

The Green Wave plays host to UConn in a three-game American Athletic Conference series Thursday through Saturday at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. The Wave (4-2 in The American) and league-leading Huskies (6-0 in The American) play at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.

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Tulane 9, Nicholls State 3 (Apr 11, 2017 at New Orleans, La.)
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Nicholls State...... 003 000 000 - 3 8 0 (18-17)
Tulane.............. 122 003 01X - 9 11 0 (15-18)
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Pitchers: Nicholls State - Ernestine, Alex; Alleman, Logan(3); Bollinger, Austin(3);
Speer, Hunter(5); Taylor, Bryan(5); Scott, Jarred(6); Goff, Daniel(6); Autin, Zach(7);
Talley, Jordan(8); Tarver, Adam(8) and Tucker, Alex. Tulane - GILLIES, Keagan;
ISSA, Brandon(4); COLLETTI, Christian(8) and ARTIGUES, Jonathon; GOZZO, Paul.
Win-ISSA, Brandon(2-0) Loss-Alleman, Logan(0-1) T-2:53 A-1814
HR TLN - WILLIAMS, Hunter (5); DeHART, Jarret (7); HOPE, Hunter (6); BROWN, Grant (2).
Weather: 76 Mstly Cloudy, Wind E @ 7mph
Scott, J. faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Talley, J. faced 3 batters in the 8th.