Tulane University
UAB
Baseball Falls To UAB In Series Finale, 8-7
Apr 14, 2002 | Baseball
April 14, 2002
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Junior centerfielder Jon Kaplan went 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI, and the Green Wave tallied 15 hits, but it was not enough as the Tulane University baseball team fell to Conference USA foe AUB 8-7 Sunday afternoon at Eddy C. Young Memorial Field.
With UAB leading by a run in the top of the ninth, the Green Wave tallied four singles, but could not scratch a run across to tie things up as Tulane falls to 20-18 on the year and 7-8 in C-USA play. UAB, meanwhile, improves to 10-24 overall and 3-12 in league action.
The Green Wave appeared to have the game in hand as Tulane led 5-1 after four and a half innings, but with one away in the home half of the frame, starter Beau Richardson gave up a single and then could not find the strike zone as he walked three consecutive batters. Reliever Kelly Comarda came on and struck out the first batter he faced, but walked in another run to make it 5-3.
Things got worse for Tulane one pitching change and two at-bats later when designated hitter Kyle Leon ripped a double down the left field line and third baseman Matt Gaulden hammered a home run over the right field wall off Ricky Fairchild to give the Blazers an 8-5 lead.
Tulane had a chance to answer in the top of the sixth when left fielder Aaron Feldman reached on a two-out error and senior infielder James Jurries walked to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of sophomore first baseman Michael Aubrey, but UAB reliever Cody Cillo struck him out the end the threat and get out of the inning unscathed.
The Green Wave cut the lead to one in the eighth when freshman shortstop Tommy Manzella doubled to the wall in right and Kaplan belted his second homer of the day one at-bat later to make it 8-7.
In the top of the ninth, Aubrey singled to lead off the frame, but sophomore designated hitter Anthony Giarratano hit into a double play to make it two away with nobody on. The Green Wave continued to battle, though, as redshirt-freshman right fielder Gerald Clark, sophomore catcher Brian Bormaster and sophomore infielder Turner Brumby all singled to load the bases, but Cillo forced Manzella to ground out to second to end the game.
Tulane opened the scoring in the second when Bormaster and freshman third baseman Brooks Shankle hit back-to-back singles to lead off the frame, and the pair scored on groundout RBI by Manzella and Kaplan.
Kaplan gave the Green Wave a 3-0 lead in the fourth with a two-out solo homer to right, but UAB would get the run back in the home half of the inning when centerfielder Chad House doubled and came around to score on a single by Leon.
The Green Wave plated a pair of runs in the fifth when Jurries singled, Aubrey hit an RBI double and Bormaster hit an RBI groundout to first to make it 5-1, but UAB had the big inning in the bottom of the inning that decided the game.
Tulane returns to Sportsman's Paradise for a Wednesday night showdown with cross-town rival UNO in Popeyes Cup action at Zephyr Field.
