No Offense, Poor Pitching Doom Tulane vs American Bottom Dweller, Charlotte 8-2
We ruminated yesterday that the Friday night loss could be a first-game-of-a-weekend-series jinx that led to Tulane baseball getting 10-run ruled by the bottom of the American Conference.
After Saturday's 8-2 loss to Charlotte, it might instead be playing down to your opponent's level.
Or below.
The Tulane baseball team continued to show a lack of pitching and negligent hitting to lead the Green Wave to a second consecutive loss to the 49ers. With the victory, Charlotte, now 7-13 in the American, climbs out of being all alone in the American cellar to being tied with South Florida there. The loss drops the Green Wave to 8-12 in the league, a game ahead of the 49ers and USF, and in sole possession of the 8th position in the conference standings. Only the top eight teams in the league go to the post-season tournament in Clearwater, Florida, which begins May 20trh.
A Good Offensive Start for the Greenies, but...
After two scoreless innings, the Green Wave took its first lead of the series in the top of the third as 1st baseman Trent Liolios smacked a two-out double down the right field line, then scored on a soft single to right field from designated hitter Matthias Haas. The 1-0 Wave lead wouldn't last long.
In the bottom of the third, the 49ers piled up five runs, including a 3-run homer off starter Jake Toporek giving Charlotte a lead it would not relinquish. The home-standing 49ers would score again in the bottom of the 4th, 5th, and 7th.
Pitching Was also Good Early, but...
Things started out well for Toporek on the mound, setting down Charlotte in order in the first, giving up a walk in the second frame, but taking care of the other three batters. Then came the third.
A lead-off double was followed by single, then a run-scoring ground out. A walk and a run-scoring single were followed by a 400-plus foot, three-run home run over the left-center field wall that chased Toporek, who went 2.2-innings, giving up four hits, two walks, five runs all earned, while striking out one.
Blaise Wilcenski followed, lasting 1.2-frames, giving up a pair of runs, both earned, on four hits, striking out three, and walking one. Former Friday starter Trey Cehajic saw his first relief duty of the season since moving to the bullpen. The graduate righty did admirably, going 3.2-innings, scattering five hits, walking three, striking out two, but only giving up one run which was earned.
LOB a PITB
The big issue for the Tulane bats was leaving Greenies on the bases, as the Wave left fifteen on the basepaths while accounting for eight hits off 49er pitching.
Sunday's finale kicks off at Noon CDT in Charlotte. No starting pitcher has been announced for either team.
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Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.