Baseball Comes Up Short in 5-4 Loss to San Diego

Saturday, March 11

Greer Field at Turchin Stadium

1:00 p.m.

Tulane University

3-11

San Diego

9-3

San Diego

Tulane

Baseball Comes Up Short in 5-4 Loss to San Diego

Mar 11, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

Box Score

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane baseball fought back from a 3-0 deficit and had the tying run at second base with two outs in the ninth inning, but fell short in a 5-4 defeat to San Diego Saturday afternoon at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

The Green Wave (3-11) trailed 3-0 before knotting the score, 3-3, with a three-run fifth inning. After the Toreros (9-3) retook the lead, 5-3, the Wave got a run back in the bottom of the sixth, and had runners at first and second in the ninth, but was unable to push the tying run across the plate.

Hunter Williams went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in the fifth inning, and a single in the ninth that put the tying run at second base. Paul Gozzo was 2-for-4 with his first collegiate RBI – a double to left field in the sixth inning that made the score 5-4. Lex Kaplan scored twice: on Kody Hoese's double in the fifth after he was hit by a pitch, and on Gozzo's double in the sixth after hitting a two-out single.

J.P France went 7.0 innings in his start for the third time this season, and Brandon Issa was perfect in 2.0 innings of relief. Sean Barry (2-0) pitched 1.1 innings in relief of starter Chris Murphy to earn the win for San Diego, while Troy Conyers earned his fifth save.

"The pitching and defense held up today. There were no errors on the board and they only had one walk. Those two guys – France and Issa – gave us a chance to win," Tulane head coach Travis Jewett said. "We had it in striking distance and actually put the tying and winning runs on base in the last inning against their guy, who is good. We talk about breaks and they continue to go the other team's way, but we have to start to create our own. We'll see what we can do tomorrow."

Hoese drove a double down the left field line in the fifth inning, plating Kaplan all the way from first base. Grant Witherspoon then drew a one-out walk, and Williams doubled into the left center field gap, scoring Hoese to cut the deficit to 3-2. Jarret DeHart then lined a single through the right side, plating Witherspoon to make it 3-3.

After San Diego scored twice in the top of the sixth, the Green Wave mustered a two-out rally in the bottom of the frame to pull within 5-4 with Kaplan's base hit and Gozzo's RBI double. Hoese, who followed Kaplan's single with a walk, was forced back to third on the ground-rule double, and a flyout ended the rally.

Tulane was unable to solve Conyers for two innings, striking out five times, but got something going in the ninth. After a long driving fly out by Hoese, Gozzo looped a single to left and Witherspoon hit into a fielder's choice. Williams then represented the winning run with a line drive single off the extended glove of third baseman Trevor Rosenberg and moved Witherspoon into scoring position. DeHart's hard grounder to third, however, was fielded by Rosenberg who stepped on the bag for the final out.

San Diego first baseman Roman Garcia homered twice to put the Toreros ahead, 3-0. He hit a solo home run in the second inning and a two-run homer in the fourth, both to left center field. In the sixth, a hit batter and a double put USD runners at second and third with one out, and then a passed ball and sacrifice fly scored two runs to make it a 5-3 ballgame.

The series finale is at 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available at the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office in the James W. Wilson Center or by calling 504-861-WAVE. Live video and live stats will be available at www.TulaneGreenWave.com, and the game will be broadcast on 88.3 FM WRBH and the TuneIn Radio app.

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San Diego 5, Tulane 4 (Mar 11, 2017 at New Orleans, La.)
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San Diego........... 010 202 000 - 5 9 0 (9-3)
Tulane.............. 000 031 000 - 4 8 0 (3-11)
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Pitchers: San Diego - MURPHY, CHRIS; BARRY, Sean(5); CONYERS, Troy(6) and SCHUYLER, Jay.
Tulane - FRANCE, J.P.; ISSA, Brandon(8) and GOZZO, Paul.
Win-BARRY, Sean(2-0) Save-CONYERS, Troy(5) Loss-FRANCE, J.P.(1-2) T-2:54 A-1552
HR USD - GARCIA, Roman 2 (4).
Weather: 73 Mstly Cloudy, Wind SE@ 9mph