Rowland’s Homer Blasts Tulane Baseball Past Memphis, 6-5

Saturday, May 20

Memphis, Tenn.

1:00 p.m.

Tulane University

27-29, 13-11

Memphis

29-27, 8-16

Tulane

Memphis

Rowland’s Homer Blasts Tulane Baseball Past Memphis, 6-5

May 20, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Pinch hitter Matt Rowland hit a two-out two-run home run in the top of the ninth to push Tulane baseball past Memphis, 6-5, to win the series and conclude the regular season in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon at FedEx Park.

The home run was Rowland's first at Tulane, and scored Jake Willsey, who reached on a one-out walk. The victory gave the Green Wave (27-29, 13-11 American) the series victory over the Memphis, and two straight wins heading into the American Athletic Conference Championship next week in Clearwater, Fla.

Reliever Brandon Issa (4-0) earned the win after throwing a scoreless eighth inning, and Christian Colletti pitched the ninth to earn his 11^th save of the season, and second of the series.

In a game that was delayed 50 minutes before the start due to rain, Lex Kaplan led off the game with a home run for the second day in a row. The Green Wave led 3-0, before the Tigers (29-27, 8-16 American) tied it with three runs in the fourth. The Wave went ahead again, 4-3, in the fifth, but Memphis took a 5-4 lead in the seventh. Tulane went scoreless for three innings before the ninth.

The Wave totaled nine hits, including three by Kaplan for the third game in a row. Hunter Williams also tallied three hits, and drove in a run.

"I'm excited for the players. That is a heck of a way to finish out the regular season, and bounce back and win the series," Tulane head coach Travis Jewett said. "Willsey's at bat can get lost in there, because he commanded the strike zone and was able to find first base, get the tying run on. Rowland obviously has some good power. When he went up there I think he knew what he wanted to do, and he attacked a hanging breaking ball and gave us a big swing."

After Kaplan knocked his ninth homer of the season to right center field in the first, Tulane added a pair of runs in the third inning to go ahead, 3-0. Kaplan led off with a single to right field and went to third on Hunter Williams' double down the left field line. A balk scored Kaplan, and Williams scored on Jarret DeHart's RBI groundout to second.

Tulane took back the 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth after Memphis tied it in the fourth. Kaplan drew a one-out walk, went to third on an errant pickoff throw to first, and scored on Williams' infield single to second base.

Memphis tied the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Grudzielanek and a two-run double by Chris Carrier. The Tigers took the lead in the seventh when Alec Trela walked and scored on a throwing error after Zach Schritenthal's single to right. Schritenthal then scored on a squeeze bunt to make the score 5-4.

Sam Bjorngjeld started for Tulane, and pitched 4.0 innings before he was relieved to start the fifth by Robert Price, who pitched 3.0 innings.

After falling in the series opener, 13-12, Thursday night, the Green Wave bounced back to win the series with a 9-6 win on Friday and the 6-5 victory Saturday. It was the Wave's fourth conference series win of the season.

Tulane will face USF in the opening game of the American Athletic Conference Championship at 2 p.m. CT Tuesday.

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Tulane 6, Memphis 5 (May 20, 2017 at Memphis, Tenn.)
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Tulane.............. 102 010 002 - 6 9 2 (27-29, 13-11 AAC)
Memphis............. 000 300 200 - 5 9 1 (29-27, 8-16 AAC)
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Pitchers: Tulane - BJORNGJELD, Sam; PRICE, Robert(5); ISSA, Brandon(8); COLLETTI, Christian(9)
and ARTIGUES, Jonathon; GOZZO, Paul. Memphis - DENZ, Danny; ALEXANDER, Connor(6);
NEEL, Colton(8); BENNETT, Blake(9) and SANTANA, Jason.
Win-ISSA, Brandon(4-0) Save-COLLETTI, Christian(11) Loss-BENNETT, Blake(2-2) T-2:36 A-770
HR TLN - KAPLAN, Lex; ROWLAND, Matt.
Weather: 70, scattered rain, ssw 8 mph