Baseball Earns 7-4 win Over Nicholls

Tuesday, February 26

Thibodaux, La.

6 PM

Tulane University

7-2

Nicholls

6-2

Tulane

Nicholls

Photo by: Parker Waters

Feb 26, 2019 | Baseball

Box Score

THIBODAUX, La. – The Tulane baseball team got five shutout innings from starting pitcher Josh Bates and timely hitting when the team needed it most to earn a 7-4 victory over the Nicholls State University Colonels Tuesday night at Ray E. Didier Field in Thibodaux.

The Green Wave (7-2) struck early and often to take a five-run lead over the home side Tuesday, but would need to find their mettle late to fend off a Nicholls (6-2) rally and secure the win with solid pitching late and taking advantage of Colonel errors to keep the opposition at bay.

"The thing that we were really trying to guard against was the mentality of today's game, coming off of a big, high-leverage series this past weekend," head coach Travis Jewett said. "Now for the first time going on the road and having the chance to punch first, and we got that in the first inning which allowed everyone to take a deep breath."

Trevor Jensen earned his second three-hit outing of the season as he finished the game going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. David Bedgood hit his third home run in as many games, and fourth of the season, among his two hits, three RBI and two runs scored and Sal Gozzo earning a pair of hits.

Bates (2-0) scattered three hits and struck out six in his second start of the year Tuesday, as the sophomore from Florida worked out of an early bases-loaded hole and rebounded in a big way in the first and was able to keep Nicholls from getting anything going during the five innings he worked.

After Nicholls cut the Tulane lead to one, the Green Wave got shutout innings from Ryan Green, Brendan Cellucci and Connor Pellerin (1), who got the save as the trio combined to allow just two hits with three strikeouts in the final three innings of the contest.

Nicholls' Ethan Valdez and Austin France had four of the Colonels' eight hits, with France driving in two. Starter Parker White (1-1) suffered the loss as he allowed three runs on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 3.1 innings pitched.

Tulane wasted little time getting the bats going, as Jensen roped his fifth double of the season to open the game. After a foul out, Kobi Owen was walked to put two on, and Bedgood did the rest as he ripped a shot off the scoreboard for the three-run home run to give the Green Wave an early 3-0 lead.

Nicholls opened their half of the first with a single to left, with consecutive walks loading the bases for the Colonels. Bates settled down after that, striking out the next three to work out of the jam and keep Nicholls off of the board.

After a run of scoreless innings by both sides, Jensen singled to left to reach first and moved over to second after a throwing error on a pickoff attempt. After an out that allowed Jensen to move to third, Grant Mathews hit a deep fly ball to left field to plate the run and push the Tulane lead to 4-0.

Tulane wasn't done there, as Owen hit a rocket that danced down the left field line and out of the park for the solo shot to make it 5-0 Green Wave.

Robert Price came into the game in the sixth and was able to get the first out of the inning, but from there Nicholls turned up the pressure getting a walk and a hit batter to put runners on. A force out at second put runners at the corners, with a single and two doubles plating four runs to pull within one of Tulane at 5-4.

A single to short for Nicholls in the bottom of the seventh made for trouble early for Green, who came on in relief of Price. A sacrifice bunt advanced the runner to second, but Green held firm getting a strikeout in the at-bat and a towering pop up to second to end the frame and keep the Colonels off the board.

In the eighth with an out, Bedgood singled up the middle and Jonathon Artigues drew a walk to put two on for the Green Wave prompting a Nicholls pitching change. Hudson Haskin came in to pinch hit and reached on a fielder's choice, as the third Nicholls error allowed Bedgood to score from third to make it 6-4 Green Wave.

In the ninth, Jensen doubled down the left field line and was followed by a Kody Hoese single to put runners at the corners. Mathews grounded out to second to score Jensen and push the lead to 7-4 Tulane.

Tulane will be back in action this weekend, participating in the 2019 Army Invitational at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Tulane will face Dartmouth, Saint Joseph's and Army in the event.

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