Tulane University
TCU
Extra-Base Hits Spark Baseball Over TCU, 8-5
Apr 19, 2002 | Baseball
April 19, 2002
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Green Wave tallied nine hits, seven for extra bases, and junior lefty Nick Bourgeois pitched a gritty 7 2/3 as the Tulane University baseball team defeated Conference USA co-leader TCU 8-5 Friday night at Turchin Stadium.
Tulane tallied six doubles and senior second baseman James Jurries launched his ninth home run of the year to give the Green Wave the victory as the home team improved to 22-18 overall and evened its league record at 8-8. TCU, meanwhile, fell to 20-19 on the year and 11-5 in C-USA action.
"We're just trying to play well enough to have a good second half (of the season)," head coach Rick Jones said. "Right now, who you're playing is not half as important as how you're playing. I thought this was a really good college baseball game and I'm glad we won. Jurries really gave us a lift and Bourgeois was very, very good. We got some good at bats from (sophomore left fielder Bryan) Stelmack and (sophomore catcher Brian) Bormaster."
The Horned Frogs took an early 2-0 lead and TCUstarter Clayton Jerome set the Green Wave down in order through the first three innings of perfect baseball, but Tulane made adjustments the second time around. Junior centerfielder Jon Kaplan broke up the early bid for a perfect game when he got hit by a pitch to leadoff the fourth, and Jurries ended the no-hitter with his two-run homer to left center to tie the contest.
Sophomore first baseman Michael Aubrey followed Jurries' bomb with a double, and with two away, Stelmack and Bormaster each crushed RBI doubles to left center to put the Green Wave ahead 4-2.
The Horned Frogs got a run back in the top of the fourth and threatened for more as TCU loaded the bases with one out, but Bourgeois induced designated hitter Shaff Elkouri to hit into a double play to get out of the frame with the lead.
The Green Wave plated a pair of runs in the sixth on a two-RBI double by pinch hitter Turner Brumby to plate Aubrey and Bormaster to push Tulane's lead back to three, but TCU came right back in the top of the seventh when Will Lewis tripled to open the frame and scored on an RBI groundout to make it 6-4. But that would be as close as TCU would get as Tulane scored another two runs in the home half of the inning on an Jurries RBI single and a run-scoring double-play ball.
A tiring Bourgeois gave up a run in the eighth when third baseman Mike Settled hit a two-out double to left and scored on an RBI single by Marshall Wilson, but sophomore reliever Joey Charron came on to strike out Lewis to end the frame and retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his seventh save of the year.
Bourgeois got the win to improve to 7-1 on the year after giving up five runs on nine hits while striking out four and walking three in 7.2 innings. Jerome was saddled with the loss after allowing six runs on five hits, all for extra bases, while striking out three and walking one.
Tulane and TCU continue the three-game league series on Saturday with a 2 p.m. start and will close out the weekend on Sunday afternoon with first pitch slated for one.
