Tulane University
Louisville
Tulane Baseball Clinches Regular Season Conference USA Title
May 13, 2001 | Baseball
May 13, 2001
LOUISVILLE, Ky.- The Tulane (45-9, 21-6 C-USA) baseball team clinched the Conference USA regular season title with a 12-6 win over Louisville (31-27, 13-14 C-USA) on Sunday.
This is the third regular season C-USA title for Tulane in six years.
Tulane took an early 6-0 lead after scoring five runs in the second and one in the sixth. Tulane scored five runs on six hits including RBI doubles by Andy Cannizaro, James Jurries and Matt Groff. In the third, Groff recorded his fifth home run of the season and added the Waves' sixth run.
Once again, the Cardinals battled back and scored three runs on a home run by Carlos de la Osa in the bottom of the fourth.
Tulane took back a six-run lead in the seventh. Groff hit a bases-loaded double and James Burgess followed with a sacrifice fly into center.
On the afternoon, Groff was 4-for-5 with four RBI, recording a home run and a pair of doubles.
With the lead off hit in the seventh, Cannizaro recorded his second double of the game and tied the Tulane career doubles record, which stands at 79. Cannizaro shares the top spot with Brian Hughes. With the two-bagger, Cannizaro has 28 on the season and needs two more to break the single season record. Cannizaro was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
In the eighth, Tulane solidified its lead adding a pair of runs on Jurries single.
De la Osa hit his second home run of the game in the eighth. Two more Cardinal runs scored in the inning on a double by J.T. LaFountain.
Anthony Giarratano tripled to start off the ninth and scored on a Scott Madden ground out.
Reliever Will Walter retired the Cardinal side in the ninth and Tulane went on to win the game 12-6.
Barth Melius (9-1) got the win, his ninth of the year. He went 7 2/3 innings, gave up six runs and struck out five.
The losing pitcher was Chris Keaton (0-2). He gave up five runs in 1 2/3 innings.
No. 1 seed Tulane plays the No. 8 seed in the first round of the Federal Express Conference USA Baseball Tournament on Wednesday, May 16. The first pitch is 7:30 p.m. at Zephyr Field.
