Baseball Defeats Cincinnati, 6-2, Clinches Series

Saturday, April 8

Cincinnati, Ohio

3:00 p.m.

Tulane University

14-17, 4-1

Cincinnati

14-16, 1-4

Tulane

Cincinnati

Photo by: Parker Waters

Baseball Defeats Cincinnati, 6-2, Clinches Series

Apr 8, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

Box Score

CINCINNATI, Ohio – J.P. France allowed one run in 7.0 innings and center fielder Grant Witherspoon drove in four runs to lead Tulane baseball to a 6-2 American Athletic Conference series-clinching win at Cincinnati Saturday afternoon at Marge Schott Stadium.

Witherspoon gave the Green Wave (14-17, 4-1 American) the lead with a three-run double in the second inning – his second three-run double in as many games. Right fielder Kobi Owen drove in two runs and second baseman Jake Willsey scored two runs. The Wave tallied 13 hits, totaling double-digits in the hit column for the eighth time in the last 14 contests.

France struck out three batters and allowed a run while scattering seven hits to improve to 3-3. Keagan Gillies tossed the final two frames to close it out for the Wave. UC starter J.T. Perez (1-5) pitched 4.1 innings, and took the loss for the Bearcats (14-16, 1-4 American).

"We got a heck of a starting performance, and it all starts right there," Tulane head coach Travis Jewett said. "I was proud of the offense today, because we used the other side of the field, and had some big two-strike at bats. For (Witherspoon) to stay left on left late in the count and drive the ball the other way was big for momentum for us. Especially after last night, for us to scratch some runs early to get ahead and maybe to give us some confidence, it was just a good offensive approach."

Shortstop Kody Hoese and Owen hit consecutive one-out singles in the second inning, and Willsey drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. Witherspoon then drove a double deep to the left field corner, clearing the bases and giving the Wave a 3-0 lead.

Tulane extended its lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning. First baseman Hunter Williams bunted for a single to lead off the inning, Jarret DeHart doubled off the fence in right field and Hunter Hope was intentionally walked to load the bases. Owen then knocked a two-out, two-run single up the middle, plating Williams and DeHart.

Witherspoon drove home another run in the sixth inning – his fourth of the game and ninth of the series. His RBI base hit scored Willsey, who tripled off the fence in right field – his first triple of the season.

Cincinnati scored both of its runs on solo home runs. Treg Haberkorn homered in the bottom of the fifth, and Ryan Noda homered in the eighth inning.

France stranded baserunners in scoring position on three occasions, leaving runners at first and third in the third inning, and at second in the fifth. In the fourth, with runners at first and second with one out, he induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the frame.

Tulane's sixth inning ended with an unusual triple play. Kaplan followed Witherspoon's RBI single with a double to put runners at second and third. Williams lined the ball off the pitcher's leg, and the ball popped into the air to the shortstop, then was thrown from first to third to second to complete the play. It appeared the runners believed the ball hit the ground before the pitcher's leg, as they did not return to their bases, but it was ruled the ball remained in the air. It was the first triple play Tulane has hit into, according to available records that date to 1965.

Sunday's series finale will be played at 11 a.m. CT. The game can be heard on 88.3 FM WRBH and the TuneIn Radio app, and live stats will be available on www.TulaneGreenWave.com.

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Tulane 6, Cincinnati 2 (Apr 08, 2017 at Cincinnati, Ohio)
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Tulane.............. 030 021 000 - 6 13 1 (14-17, 4-1 American)
Cincinnati.......... 000 010 010 - 2 8 0 (14-16, 1-4 American)
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Pitchers: Tulane - FRANCE, J.P.; GILLIES, Keagan(8) and GOZZO, Paul. Cincinnati - PEREZ, J.T.;
KULLMAN, A.J.(5) and THOMAS, Joey.
Win-FRANCE, J.P.(3-3) Loss-PEREZ, J.T.(1-5) T-2:39 A-778
HR CIN - NODA, Ryan (5); HABERKORN, Treg (4).
Weather: Sunny, 62 degrees, SSW 4 mph