Tulane University
at Memphis*
Gomes Goes The Distance As Baseball Downs Memphis, 7-1
Mar 25, 2006 | Baseball
March 25, 2006
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Junior right-hander Brandon Gomes tossed his first career complete game and the Green Wave offense tallied seven of their 10 hits with two outs as the Tulane University baseball team defeated Conference USA foe Memphis, 7-1, Saturday afternoon at Nat Buring Stadium.
The weather was cold and breezy, but Gomes (3-3) - a native of Fall River, Mass. - was right at home as he scattered nine hits on the day and allowed only one run. Tulane had just one more hit than the Tigers, but the difference in the game was the Green Wave's approach with two outs while seven walks and a hit batsman transpired into three runs.
With the win, Tulane evens the series and improves to 16-9 on the year. Memphis, meanwhile, falls to 12-9 overall. The two teams will play the rubber match of the weekend on Sunday with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. Tulane will send redshirt-freshman right-hander Stephen Porlier (3-1, 2.54) to the hill where he will match up against Tigers' southpaw Dusty Davis (1-0, 3.14).
"Gomes set the tone for us today," Tulane head coach Rick Jones said. "Memphis swings the bat very well, and Brandon kept them off balance all day. He mixed his pitches well - fastball, curveball and split-finger -had good command of all three, and threw a lot of strikes."
Five Tulane players had two hits each, including sophomore second baseman Brad Emaus who went 2-for-2 with three walks and an RBI. Senior left fielder Matt Riser went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, an RBI and three runs scored, and freshman designated hitter Aja Barto was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer.
The Green Wave squandered a two-on-and-nobody-out situation in the first, and stranded a runner at second in the ensuing stanza. Tulane got its first lead of the weekend in the third, though, when Riser, Emaus and senior centerfielder Nathan Southard drew consecutive walks to load the bases, and Riser scored from third on a double-play ball.
Junior first baseman Mark Hamilton posted Tulane's first two-out hit in the next at-bat with an RBI single up the middle off of Memphis starter Neil Schenk to give Tulane a 2-0 advantage.
Tigers' reliever Marcus Davis retired the side in order in the fourth but Riser led off the fifth with a single, advanced the bases on a wild pitch and a passed ball, and scored on a safety squeeze bunt by Southard to tack on another run.
Freshman third baseman Seth Henry was plunked by a Davis offering in the sixth, and following a sacrifice bunt by rookie catcher Max Kwan, Riser and Emaus hit back-to-back RBI singles to push the lead to five. Sophomore shortstop Cat Everett sparked a two-out rally one stanza later with a bunt single, and Barto followed by hammering a 1-1 pitch which landed in the parking lot approximately 30 feet beyond the left field wall to account for Tulane's final runs.
Memphis avoided the shutout in the bottom of the seventh when right fielder Josh Irvin singled and left fielder Will Petersen doubled before shortstop Michael Murray lifted a sacrifice fly to right to account for the Tigers' only run.
The star of the game, however, was Gomes, who tossed Tulane's first CG of the 2006 season and the first by a Green Wave pitcher since Micah Owings did so in game two of the 2005 NCAA New Orleans Super Regional against Rice on June 12 at Turchin Stadium. Gomes retired the side in order only once, but never allowed the big hit. Gomes was aided by another perfect day his defense, and helped his own cause by catching a popped-up bunt attempt to thwart a two-on, nobody-out rally in the fourth, and assisting on a hard-hit come-backer in the sixth.
Schenk (1-2) was saddled with the loss after giving up two runs on three hits while walking four and striking out one through 3.0 innings. Davis gave Memphis a solid effort, but allowed five runs on seven hits while walking three and posting three strikeouts over the final six frames.
Following the Sunday's series finale, the Green Wave return to action on Tuesday, March 28, when they play host to Jackson State at 6:30 p.m. For ticket information, contact the Tulane Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE. The Ticket Office is currently located in the lobby of Fogelman Arena, and is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased on-line at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
