Tulane University
Cincinnati
Baseball Falls To Cincinnati 11-1 in Series Finale
Apr 28, 2002 | Baseball
April 28, 2002
CINCINNATI, Ohio - Cincinnati hurler B.J. Boras struck out six and gave up just five hits in a complete-game effort as the Tulane University baseball team dropped the series finale with the Bearcats 11-1 Sunday afternoon at Johnny Bench Field.
The Green Wave had at least three opportunities to get on the board as Tulane had runners in scoring position with two or less outs, but Borsa was able to pitch out of the jams and give his Cincinnati team the 2-1 series win. With the loss, Tulane falls to 26-20 on the year and 11-10 in Conference USA action. Cincinnati, meanwhile, improves to 20-22-1 overall and 7-13-1 in league play.
Tulane put the first two runners on base to open the game, but Borsa struck out the next Green Wave batter and got a double-play ball to get out of the inning unscathed. Later, in the third, Junior centerfielder Jon Kaplan hit a two-out single and stole second, but once again Borsa got a liner to first to end the threat. Then in the seventh, freshman shortstop Tommy Manzella hit a one-out triple, but the Bearcat ace got a strikeout and a come-backer to the mound to strand the rookie at third.
The Green Wave also saw a potential run evaporate into thin air as senior James Jurries crushed a ball that sailed high over the rightfield foul poll in the eighth, but despite heavy protests from head coach Rick Jones and assistant Chris Burr, first-base umpire Bob Howard called the ball foul and the Tulane never threatened again.
The Bearcats got on the board first, plating a pair of unearned runs in the third on a two-RBI single by leftfielder Jake Smith, and Cincinnati plated another run one inning later when centerfielder Justin Niefer hit a bases-loaded single to plate Joe McBride and give the home team a 3-0 lead.
Things got worse for the Green Wave in the fifth as the Bearcats plated half a dozen runs on five hits and took advantage of a Tulane error.
The lone run Tulane was able to scratch across came in the sixth when Jurries walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a double-play and scored when Cincinnati second baseman Nate Fish could not handle a routine ground ball off the bat of sophomore third baseman Anthony Giarratano.
The Bearcats added a run in the home half of the frame when centerfielder Justin Niefer doubled home Fish from second, and Cincinnati closed the game out in the eighth on an RBI-single by Niefer to give the Bearcats the 10-run rule victory.
The Green Wave returns to action on Tuesday when they take on in-state foe Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Turchin Stadium.
