Griener's Triple Highlights Baseball's Fourth Fall Scrimmage
Oct 9, 2007 | Baseball
Oct. 9, 2007
Tuesday's Box Score in PDF Format
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Senior outfielder Grayden Griener's two-out triple to the gap in left central and junior reliever Mason Griffin's two-strikeout performance in a scoreless inning of relief highlighted the Tulane University baseball team's fourth scrimmage of fall practice Tuesday afternoon at Turchin Stadium.
Playing a five-inning intrasquad, Griener turned on an offering from sophomore right-hander Taylor Rogers in the bottom of the fourth for his first extra-base hit of the fall, and scored one-hitter later when junior catcher Steve Moritz laced an RBI-single to shallow left to break a 1-all tie. Griffin fanned the first two batters he faced in the top of the fifth and pitched his way around a hit batsman to earn his first save of the preseason.
"The strength of our intrasquad today was our pitching staff," Tulane head coach Rick Jones said. "The wind wasn't blowing out, the ball wasn't going to carry, and they used that to their advantage. Even though we're back home, the playing surface isn't the same as it was prior to. We're also still learning how this park is going to play. One, without Rosen House (beyond right field), you don't know how much that's going to change how the ball carries in certain situations, or doesn't carry. We're trying to find that out.
"Second, with the scale of this stadium being what it is, you're going to have less wind coming through here because it's higher. How much does that impact play? We don't know. We're finding that out as we go. We're finding out how this park plays. As we continue to build more stands and get more of the padding in place and we start getting a feel for our angles, I guess it'll even become more informative for us."
Eight Tulane pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts over four and a half innings, including two each by Griffin, Rogers, freshman righty Robby Broach and sophomore southpaw Aaron Loup. Loup and Broach started for their respective squads, going one inning and giving up one run each.
Broach allowed just one hit during his time on the mound - a leadoff single by junior centerfielder Aja Barto, who scored on an RBI-grounder to short off the bat of junior left fielder Andrew Rodgers. Griffin, true freshman Nick Pepitone, junior southpaw Peter Connick and redshirt-freshman lefty Hunter Johnson combined to keep the opposing team without a hit over the next four frames.
"I thought Hunter Johnson, Drew Zizinia, Robby Broach, Nick Pepitone and Aaron Loup all looked very sharp on the mound," Jones said. "Mason Griffin showed us today the kind of closer we have a chance to have. Those things were fun things to watch and hitters had a tough time. We pitched pretty well, and when you pitch, you always have a chance."
Following the abbreviated intrasquad, the Green Wave held a short batting practice session, highlighted by doubles by Griener, Moritz and freshman Kirk Cunningham, and a towering home run off the bat of rookie Rob Segedin.
"I thought it was a productive day, but there are so many things we're trying to find out right now," Jones said. "We've got a lot of new players who are trying to learn the system - whether it's terminology or where they need to be in certain situations. All those things create instances where it doesn't go as smooth as you want it to.
"Another thing we're doing is playing a lot of guys in different positions. Some of them, as you find out, may be out of position. But you don't know and that's what fall practice is for. We're trying to find out some new things and experiment."
The Green Wave return to practice on Wednesday, Oct. 10, and will continue to hold daily sessions through the end of the week. The Tulane team scrimmage again on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, holding week-day practices from 2:15-5:30 p.m., with this weekend's practices set to begin at 1 p.m. Practice will continue through Nov. 11, and the final five days will be the Green Wave's annual Fall World Series.
