Tulane University
at Louisville
Aubrey Belts Two Homers As Tulane Splits Doubleheader At Louisville
May 10, 2003 | Baseball
May 10, 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Junior first baseman Michael Aubrey went 4-for-9 with two home runs, a double and five RBI as the Tulane University baseball team split a doubleheader with Louisville, winning game one 16-12 before falling in the nightcap 7-6, Saturday afternoon in Conference USA action at Cardinal Stadium.
Tulane never trailed in game one en route to its seventh consecutive victory, but the Green Wave saw a 6-2 lead evaporate in the second half of the doubleheader as the Cardinals chipped away with two runs in the bottom of the sixth and singles runs in each of the remaining three innings to claim the split.
After Saturday's games, Tulane is now 37-14 overall and 18-8 in C-USA play. Louisville, meanwhile, is 29-19 on the year and 12-13 in league action.
Tulane got the day off on a positive note as senior centerfielder Jonny Kaplan and Aubrey singled, and sophomore designated hitter Wes Swackhamer walked to load the bases before sophomore second baseman Tommy Manzella crushed the next offering from Louisville pitcher Scott Barber over the wall in right center for a grand slam and a 4-0 Green Wave lead.
The boys in Olive and Blue plated another run in the second on an RBI-single by junior shortstop Tony Giarratano, but the Cardinals plated runs in the first and third - both by speedy centerfielder Dave Williams Jr. - to make it 5-2. The Green Wave appeared to take control of the game in the fourth when Kaplan and Giarratano hit back-to-back doubles and Aubrey clubbed his first homer of the day to give the Green Wave an 8-2 lead.
The Cardinals refused to go away, though, and plated a single run in the fifth before striking for five in the sixth to tie the score at 8-all. Tulane, however, had an answer in the top of the eighth by sending 12 to the plate, scoring seven runs on seven hits to reclaim a commanding 15-8 lead. Tulane added another run in the eighth on and RBI-single by Giarratano to score freshman third baseman Tim Guidry, but once again, Louisville stormed back in the bottom of the frame with four runs on five hits to cut the lead to 15-12.
With two away in the frame, Tulane called on junior reliever Joey Charron, and following a rain delay that lasted over an hour, the preseason All-Conference USA selection responded by getting out of the inning and gave up just one single in the ninth to seal the Green Wave win.
In game two, however, miscues haunted Tulane as an error, a passed ball and a pair of balks led to four runs, and a base-running miscue cost the Green Wave a run of their won in the loss.
Louisville jumped out to an early lead as Williams, Jr., drew a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw to second, and scored in the game's second at-bat when J.T. LaFountain grounded out to short.
Following a pair of scoreless innings, Aubrey belted his second homer of the day to right following a leadoff single by Giarratano to give the Green Wave a 2-1 lead. The Cardinals would tie the score in the fifth on a two-out rally when Williams, Jr. singled, advanced to second on a balk and scored on an RBI-single by LaFountain to make it a 2-2 ballgame.
Tulane appeared to blow the game open one inning later with four runs on six hits, including a two-RBI single by Swackhamer, an RBI-base hit by freshman left fielder Nathan Southard, and a run-scoring double by junior catcher Brian Bormaster to give the Green Wave a 6-2 lead. Tulane could have had at least one more run in the frame, however, as Aaron Feldman was caught trying to steal third one pitch before Bormaster's double down the left-field line.
In the home half of the frame Cardinals mounted another two-out rally when Morgan Bojorquez hit a solo home run and Luis Pardo followed with a double. Tulane appeared to be out of the inning when starter Cory Hahn struck out Ryan McKinnon swinging, but the Cardinal third baseman reached on a passed ball to put runners on the corners, and nine-hole hitter Nick Haley singled to center to cut the lead to two at 6-4.
Mark Juriched hit an RBI-triple to right in the seventh to score LaFountain, and McKinnon hit a home run to right center in the eighth to tie the score. Cardinals' reliever Carlos Fernandez, meanwhile, retired all five batters he faced after coming in for starter Zach Jackson with one out in the eighth, and Louisville loaded the bases in the ninth on a pair of walks by freshman southpaw Brian Bogusevic and rookie right-hander Tyler Kimmons issued an intentional walk to Bojorquez after getting Ron Braun to groundout to third.
It looked like the Green Wave might force extra innings when Kimmons got Pardo to hit a one-hopper to third, Guidry touched the bag at the hot corner and fired a bullet across the diamond to first, but the ball bounced just in front of Aubrey and Josh Bolen crossed the plate for the game-winning run.
Tulane and Louisville close out the weekend on Sunday with first pitch slated for noon. Following the series against the Cardinals, Tulane returns home to close out the season with a Tuesday Popeyes Cup contest against cross-town foe UNO at Zephyr Field before playing the final series of the regular season against East Carolina at Turchin Stadium beginning on Thursday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m.
