Tulane University
UAB
Two-Out Rallies Spark Baseball Past UAB 15-7
Apr 12, 2002 | Baseball
April 12, 2002
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Green Wave bats pounded out 20 hits, including 10 with two outs that led to 10 runs, as the Tulane University baseball team battered Conference USA foe UAB 15-7 Friday night at Eddy C. Young Memorial Stadium.
Redshirt-freshman right fielder Gerald Clark went 2-for-4 with a pair of homers and four RBI, and junior left fielder Aaron Feldman went 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored as the Green Wave improve to 19-17 overall and 6-7 in C-USA play. UAB, meanwhile, fell to 9-24 on the year and 2-11 in league action.
After falling behind 4-2 after two innings, the Green Wave offense scored 13 runs over the next five innings, and Nick Bourgeois struck out 11 to lead Tulane to victory. Bourgeois gave up four hits and four runs (two earned) in the first two innings, but settled down to face just two more than the minimum through the eighth inning to earn the victory and improve to 6-1.
Tulane got things going early as Feldman doubled and senior second baseman James Jurries walked before sophomore first baseman Michael Aubrey opened the scoring with an RBI groundout and sophomore designated hitter Anthony Giarratano made it 2-0 with a singled through the left side. UAB came right back in the home half of the inning, though as the first three batter reached on a single, double and hit by pitch, respectively and the first two scored on a fielder's choice by Kyle Leon and a sacrifice fly by Matt Gaulden.
The Blazers took the lead in the second as Mitch Jones led off the frame with a single and Mark Garner reached on a Green Wave error. An errant pickoff throw to second advanced the runners a base, and UAB would make Tulane pay for its mistakes as Chad House plated Mitch Jones on a sacrifice fly to center and Matt Womble singled to make it 4-2.
That would be all the Blazers would get until the final inning as Bourgeois took control. While Bourgeois was mowing on the mound, the Green Wave bats came alive as seven players tallied multiple-hit outings.
Aubrey tied the game in the third with his first homer since Feb. 14, launching a two-out offering from UAB starter Joe Yarbrough to plate Jurries who singled one at-bat earlier. Junior centerfielder Jon Kaplan gave Tulane the lead for good one inning later with a two-out double down the left field line to plate freshman shortstop Tommy Manzella from first and give the Green Wave a 5-4 advantage.
Giarratano put Tulane up by two with an RBI single in the fifth, and Clark made it 8-4 with his first homer of the day later in the frame. Then, in the sixth, Feldman added another run with an RBI single to plate Manzella from second.
Clark's two-out solo homer in the seventh put Tulane ahead 10-4, but the Green Wave put the game out of reach one frame later as Tulane scored five runs on five hits to make it 15-4.
UAB would score three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but by that point, the game was already decided.
Tulane and UAB will play again on Saturday at 3 p.m before closing out the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
