Tulane University
Houston (C-USA Tournament)
Baseball Powers Past Houston, 10-1, In Conference USA Semifinal
May 28, 2005 | Baseball
May 28, 2005
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Junior centerfielder Nathan Southard homered in his first three at-bats and freshman third baseman Brad Emaus hammered a fifth-inning grand slam to cap a five-run frame as the No. 1 ranked Tulane University baseball team defeated fifth-seeded Houston, 10-1, Saturday morning in the semifinals of the 2005 Conference USA Tournament at Pete Taylor Park.
While Southard and Emaus were making the highlight reel, junior right-hander Micah Owings got the job done from the mound. Owings gave up just one run on six hit, while striking out nine with no walks in a 7.0-inning start. With the win, the Green Wave improve to 50-9 on the year and advance to the C-USA Tournament Championship game vs. either TCU or Southern Miss. That contest is slated to begin at 1 p.m., and will be televised nationally on the C-USA Television Network (New Orleans Cox Channel 37).
"It was just a complete game for our guys," Tulane head coach Rick Jones said. "Nathan Southard certainly had one of the most memorable games of his career with three home runs. He put good swings on all three of those pitches. I thought Micah Owings did really well. His fastball had life, and he had enough command of his breaking ball and changeup to keep them off balance."
Southard saw a grand total of eight pitches in his first three plate appearances and connected on an 0-1 pitch in the first, a first-pitch offering in the third and a 1-2 offering in the fifth. His three-homer day tied a Tulane single-game record (set 10 previous times, most recently by Mike Pursell vs. LSU on March 3, 1998), and also tied a C-USA Tournament record set by Jeff Bell of UAB in 1996.
Emaus, meanwhile, went 3-for-5 on the day and drove in five, including an RBI-single in the eighth. The grand slam was his third of the season and the sixth overall for Tulane. Following Owings' seven innings on the hill, junior Ricky Fairchild pitched his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, and redshirt-freshman Chris Worster tossed a scoreless ninth to seal the Tulane victory.
Southard gave the Green Wave an early advantage with a solo shot on the game's second pitch, but the Cougars answered in the bottom of the inning when pitcher/designated hitter Brad Lincoln turned on an Owings' changeup and sent it over the wall in right center to tie things up.
Owings (9-4) gave up just four singles and a double the rest of the way, and did not allow multiple base runners in any inning. The defense committed an error on the day that allowed Houston to load the bases in the eighth, but Fairchild thwarted the rally with a strikeout, and the Cougars did not threaten in the ninth.
Tulane, meanwhile, went scoreless in the second, but a leadoff single by rookie second baseman Cat Everett set up Southard's second home run of the day, and Southard led off the fifth with another solo shot to give the Green Wave a 4-1 advantage.
Senior catcher Greg Dini sparked a sixth-inning rally with a one-out double and sophomore first baseman Mark Hamilton walked to put a pair of runners on. Lincoln nearly pitched his way out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundball to second, but Houston middle infielder Kevin Roberts could not put a glove on the ball, and that allowed Dini to score from second.
From there, Lincoln walked Southard to load the bases, and Emaus made the extended-inning hurt with a lined-shot over the wall in left central to account for the final score.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets to Sunday's Conference USA Championship Game can be purchased through the Southern Miss Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-844-TICK. In addition, tickets are also available on-line at www.southernmiss.com.
