Baseball Claims Series With Dramatic 3-2 Victory Over HBU Saturday

Saturday, March 23

New Orleans

2:00 PM

Tulane University

16-7

Houston Baptist

5-17

Houston Baptist

Tulane

Baseball Claims Series With Dramatic 3-2 Victory Over HBU Saturday

Mar 23, 2019 | Baseball

Box Score

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Junior Grant Mathews' single up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the 11^th inning lifted the Tulane Green Wave to a 3-2 victory over the HBU Huskies to claim the series Saturday afternoon at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

In a tense game with neither side giving an inch, Tulane (16-7) battled through stranding 11 runners on base over the course of the extra-inning affair Saturday to take home the victory and look to capture the sweep against the Huskies (5-17) Sunday.

"In baseball, especially in long-inning games too, you see cycles repeat themselves. We had a couple of chances throughout the game and sometimes that just happens," head coach Travis Jewett said. "We felt we had the right guys coming up and Grant came up with the big swing."

The Green Wave wouldn't have been in the hunt in the end if it weren't for another stingy pitching performance that began with starter Keagan Gillies, allowing just two runs on five hits and striking out six in his longest outing of the year in 6.2 innings of work. The relievers were able to come through scattering just three hits over the next four plus innings, with Connor Pellerin (2-1) getting the win as he struck out four in 1.2 innings to close the game out.

Mathews led Tulane at the plate going 3-for-5 with a double, pair of RBI and a run scored in the win, followed by Trevor Jensen going 3-for-6 at the plate. Kody Hoese extended his team-best hitting streak to 15 games, while David Bedgood tied the game late on his only hit of the day.

HBU's Brady Batten lasted 6.1 innings and allowed just one run on six hits, but when combined with reliever JT Newton (0-2) the duo walked 10 Tulane batters, with Newton allowing a pair of runs on three hits in the loss.

Nathan Soriano had three of HBU's eight hits, while Trent Franson drove in a run on his two hits and scored once.

After the Huskies opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second, it would take until the bottom of the third for Tulane to shake back as a Jensen single sandwiched between two walks loaded the bases for the Green Wave. Grant Mathews would ground out to deep second allowing a run to score to tie the game at 1-1.

It would be the same in the eighth as down 2-1 and with runners at first and second with two outs Bedgood ripped a single up the middle to score the tying run to level the game at 2-2.

HBU threatened again in the 10^th as a walk and a double with an out ended the day for Trent Johnson and Pellerin coming on in his place. A walk loaded the bases, but a failed bunt attempt left the lead runner at third base caught in a rundown for the second out of the frame. Pellerin would come through to get a strikeout in the next at-bat to end the threat to keep the game tied at 2-2.

In the 11^th, Jonathon Artigues drew a walk to open the inning as Sal Gozzo produced the team's second successful sac bunt of the game to advance him to second. Artigues advanced to third after a groundout as Hoese was intentionally walked to put runners at the corners. Hoese would steal second to try and goad the HBU defense into making a throw, but in the end it didn't matter as Mathews connected on a 1-2 count to seal the win with his base hit.

First pitch for the finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

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