Quotes From Sunday's Double Header At Southern Miss
Apr 15, 2007 | Baseball
April 15, 2007
TULANE HEAD COACH Rick Jones
On the 7-1 win in the second half of Sunday's double-header
"We took advantage of a pitcher still trying to find his rhythm, and that happens. Sometimes, we will be a little more patient with a 2-0 or a 3-0 count in the first inning if it looks like a pitcher is trying to establish his rhythm because sometimes what happened can happen. Timmy got a ball up to right into that wind, and I thought that was really impressive after that good at-bat was Barto and Henry having good at-bats afterwards and then Cat knocked in another one. That's what really sealed it, I thought, and then Gomes made some good pitches with runners on again. He did a great job and he showed a fifth-year senior type of effort out there. He didn't knock the bat out of their hands, but he made pitches and got ground balls, and our defense played really, really well in the second game."
On the 5-2 loss to Southern Miss
"I thought Southern Miss came out and played very, very well in the first ballgame. They played well offensively, they pitched and it was just one of those things were we cut the lead and they stretched it. When you do stuff like that, it gives you a good chance to win."
On being able to bounce back following a loss in the first game of the double header
"I told the team, so many times - and I go back to my time at junior college and smaller college where you play double headers most of the time - so many times when you see a team win that first game, it's not something you can guard against and they sometimes ease into that second game a little bit. You're real excited about winning the first game when that second game gets started and the glow is still going. We're over here with a mad on and I think that that's what happened. It's something that is unique to Southern Miss and Tulane.
"This happens so many times and it can happen just the other way had we won the first one. You have to really try hard to forget about that first one, but you can't forget about it in 40 minutes. As I said to our guys, `the great news is we don't have to wait a day or two or three to try and get a W. We can do it in 30 or 40 minutes.' I thought our guys did a really good job of that and that's just one of those things. It's not a phenomenon. It's something that happens whenever you play double headers."
TULANE GAME-TWO STARTER Brandon Gomes
On taking the mound for the first time and leading 7-0
"That was the key. That lead just allows me to go out there and throw strikes and let my defense work. I was working both sides of the plate with fastball/cutter pretty much. That was it."
On pitching in the Sunday role
"I like the Sunday spot just because there's always something riding on it - either a sweep or a salvage, or to take the series. I really feel comfortable on Sundays."
On what was working for him in game two
"It was fastball/cutter, today. My splitter wasn't good, but I was just moving it in and out and Coach Sutter was right there with me. I didn't have to shake off once."
On the play of the Green Wave defense
"Cat was great today - making back-hand plays and all sorts of plays. All the defensive players played great. Tony made a great play in left and my hat is off to the defense."
TULANE THIRD BASEMAN Tim Guidry
On coming in and picking up his ninth save in a tight ballgame
"It was a 1-1 fastball high and outside. I was just trying to get something up in the air and get a sacrifice fly and get a run on the board. It just happened to get up in that jet stream and it got out to right.
On being able to bounce back after a tough 5-2 loss in game one
"We were really angry after that first game today because we thought we had some opportunities that we should have cashed in on. I think it really showed in that first inning. We came out and strung some really good at-bats together. We know that seven-inning games are quick and we have to try and get as many runs early as we could."
On the pitching performance by Brandon Gomes
"He did a really great job. He rolled three double plays today to get them off the bases and he pitched a really great game and made it as quick as possible."
On the Tulane/Southern Miss series
"We knew going into the (weekend) that they were going to give us a great game and we just had to make sure we do the extra things that it takes to win the series. When you play in Conference USA, you only have (24) conference games, and you try to win as many games against the teams that will be at the top at the end to put them in the rearview mirror."
