Tulane University
Charlotte
Baseball Drops Marathon Outing To Charlotte, 18-10
Mar 16, 2002 | Baseball
March 16, 2002
NEW ORLEANS, La. - It was game that featured a little bit of everything - 41 total hits, 28 runs, 11 pitchers, six doubles, three home runs and two ejections - but in the end, the Tulane University baseball team found itself on the wrong side of an 18-10 decision as the Green Wave fell to Charlotte in a marathon Conference USA contest Saturday afternoon at Turchin Stadium.
After falling behind 6-3 after five and a half innings, Tulane rallied to score seven runs in the home half of the sixth to take a 10-6 lead. But Charlotte chipped away at the lead with two runs in the seventh and exploded for eight runs in the eighth before closing out the scoring with a pair of runs in the ninth en route to the win in a game that lasted four hours and six minutes. With the loss, Tulane falls to 12-8 on the year and 0-2 in Conference USA play while Charlotte improves to 11-8 overall and 2-0 in league action.
Charlotte got on the board first when second baseman George Sandel hit an RBI single to plate third baseman Tim Nalls in the second, and the 49ers increased their lead to 5-0 in the fifth on a grand slam by right fielder Thomas Bowker. Charlotte also added a run in the top of the sixth when Brad Lamm scored on an errant throw by catcher Matt Mann, but Tulane would come roaring back over the next two innings.
In the bottom of the fifth, second baseman James Jurries and designated hitter Michael Aubrey hit back-to-back one-out singles before right fielder Gerald Clark launched his fourth home run of the year over the left field fence to cut the lead to 6-3. Then, in the sixth, the capitalized on a pair of Charlotte errors and tallied four hits en route to a seven-run inning.
First baseman Chris Taylor got things going in the sixth with an RBI single to plate Tommy Manzella who got hit by a pitch to lead off the frame. Jurries got plunked in the next at-bat and Clark reached on an error by Nalls to load the bases with two away. With new life after the Charlotte miscue, left fielder Bryan Stelmack and third baseman Brooks Shankle hit back-to-back two-RBI singles, and pinch hitter Scott Madden capped the rally with a towering two-run homer that sailed over the scoreboard in left to put Tulane ahead 10-6.
From there, however, the wheels fell off of the Green Wave caravan. Sandel collected his second RBI of the outing with a two-out double in the seventh, and came around to score on an RBI single by Lamm one batter later. Then, disaster struck in the eighth as Charlotte pounded out seven hits and took advantage of a Tulane error to plate eight runs and take the lead for good.
Taylor, Jurries and Shankle each tallied three hits to lead the Green Wave, but Charlotte countered with four-hit performances by Brian Bowman, Sandel and Lamm in the win.
Charlotte reliever Pat Gambale earned the win to improve to 2-0 on the year with one and two third innings of one-run ball, giving up two hits and a pair of walks while striking out one. Green Wave reliever Joey Charron was saddled with the loss after failing to get an out in the eighth when he faced three batters and gave up three singles that all eventually scored.
Tulane and Charlotte will complete the three-game C-USA series on Sunday when the two teams do battle at 1 p.m. at Turchin Stadium.
