Tulane Falls to Wichita on Good Friday, 7-4
After winning their opener against Wichita on Thursday, the Tulane baseball team scored the same number of runs on Good Friday, but Wave pitching couldn't hold down the Shockers, falling 7 - 4.
Green Wave Friday starter Trey Cehajic started game two. He has had some mound difficulties for a month now. Over the last four games, he has given up 32-hits and 24-runs over those 16-and-a-third innings.
Three up, three down in the top of the 1st for the Wave.
Shockers Take the Lead
After two up and two down in the bottom of the first for Wichita, Cehajic gave up a towering home run to right center field to give the Shockers their first lead of the weekend at 1-0. A harmless single followed before the right-hander earned a strike out to end the threat.
A lead off walk for the Green Wave in the top of the 2nd for Trent Liolios, Mattias Haas pushes him up with a sacrifice bunt, and a walk to Tye Wood puts two on and one out. Catcher Johnny Elliott's ground out and James Agabedis flyout leave Liolios and Wood stranded in scoring position and the score still 1-0.
In the bottom half of the second, a single and double by Wichita after a ground out had Tulane on the ropes again, but a pulled-in infield had shortstop Kaikea Harrison gun down the runner from third at home, then another ground out retired the side with two Shockers still on the bases.
Two outs quickly for the Wave in the top of the 3rd, but that's followed by back-to-back base runners: Nate Johnson's infield single and a Jason Wachs walk, but Trent Liolios grounds out sharply to end the threat. Tulane has left four on base in three innings.
Cehajic starts off the third with two quick outs, then gives up a double down the right field line, followed by a single to right center field gives Wichita State a 2-0 lead. A ground out ends the inning.
An Eventful 4th Frame
Haas opens the 4th with a single to left field, the second Tulane hit of the night. Wood follows with a single down the left field line, putting runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs. Both hits came on 0-2 pitches. Elliott comes to the plate and lays down a perfect bunt to load the bases with Agabedis at the plate. The senior's troubles continued, though, as he strikes out swinging. Chun raps a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Haas from third base and sending Wood to third. With runners at the corner, the tough road trip for Harrison came to a screeching halt, as the top of the order man clubbed a 3-ball,2-strike, two-out double to score Wood and Elliott. Wichita didn't agree with the call at the plate, appealing Elliott touching the plate. The umpires agreed with the appeal making Elliott the third out, but the Green Wave have now tied the game at 2-2.
A walk, a single, and a sacrifice bunt chases Cehajic to the showers and brings in Blaise Wilcenski to face the top of the order with two on at 2nd and 3rd and no out. A sacrifice flyout to center field plates a run and gives the Blazers back the lead, 3-2. An infield single gets home another run, putting the Wave down by two again, 4-2. Another single puts runners at 1st and 2nd with two out, but a flyout ends the inning.
Cehajic lasts 3-and-a-third innings, gives up seven hits, four runs all earned, struck out one and walked one.
Wave Storms Back to Knot It Up
Nate Johnson opens the 5th with a walk as starting Wichita pitcher is now having a hard time finding the plate. Wachs follows with a sharp single up the middle., which chases starting pitcher Brady Hamilton to the dugout. A walk to Liolios loads the bases with Matthias Haas at bat. With the bases loaded, Haas comes into the game 0-for-7. Haas hits a slow roller to third. The throw home cuts down Johnson, then the throw to first hits Haas in the back, careening into right field, scoring Wachs from second and shortening the Wichita lead to 4-3. Liolios ends up at third with one out. Wood RBIs Liolios at home with a grounder to first, tying the score at 4-apiece in the top of the 5th. An Elliott walk sends up Agabedis with two on and two outs. A wild pitch sends both Wave runners up a base, now 2nd and 3rd, but Agabedis strikes out for the second time for the night, leaving runners stranded. That's seven LOB in the game for Tulane.
Hamilton lasts four innings, gives up six hits, three runs all earned, walks four and strikes out three.
Wilcenski starts the bottom of the 5th with a strikeout. For the second and third time in the game, third bagger James Agabedis displayed his defensive prowess: sliding toward the bag and sizzling a hopper to Liolios at 1st for out #2, then knocking down a laser shot at him and throwing the runner out to end the inning.
The Wave go down 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth.
Shockers Retake the Lead
A lead off walk by Wilcenski starts the bottom of the inning, but followed that up with a K, then another walk, putting two on with one out. A ground out at first pushes the Wichita runners to 2nd and 3rd and chases Wilcenski to the dugout. LuisPablo Navarro takes the mound and gives up a three-run home run to very deep right field to give the Shockers the lead back at 7-4. A strike out finishes the sixth.
After a Wachs strike out to lead off the 7th, Liolios earns his third walk in the game, but a Haas swinging strike out and a Wood ground out strands the eighth runner of the night for Tulane, as Wichita stays up 7-4.
A single for the Shockers to start the bottom of the 7th on Navarro is followed by a strike out which took close to 9-minutes because of a multi-minute review of what was called a hit-by-pitch, then changed to a foul ball, plus too many throws to first to count. Navarro gets the hook after the K, bringing in Jacob Moore, the first action for the Tulane righty since a week ago against UAB. A strike out, then interference at the plate by the batter preventing Tulane catcher Johnny Elliott from making an accurate throw makes it a double-play to end the 7th with the Shockers still up 7-4.
In the top of the eighth, the 7, 8, & 9 batters for the Wave come the plate and go down in order. It's the second time in three innings Tulane has gone three up, three down.
A harmless walk by Moore is in the middle of three outs to finish off the eighth, Shockers still up 7-4.
Wichita 7 - Tulane 4
The top of the Tulane lineup tries to make up the three run difference in the top of the 9th. Harrison and Johnson are two quick outs. Nate Johnson smacks a single to center field, but all for naught, as Liolios ground out to end the game. The loss sends Tulane to 3-5 in the American with Wichita at 5-3.
Saturday's game has a 1:05 p.m. start time. Tulane is hoping their most consistent weekend starter, Jack Frankel, can take the mound for the final game of the series. The Liberty University transfer hasn't seen mound action since a March 21st win over Memphis due to upper body discomfort.
Ripples
- Jason Wachs has now reached safely in 58 straight games going back to his freshman season last year. In case you're wondering, the longest officially recognized NCAA Division I consecutive games reached base streak is 102, set by Brian Ellis of Florida Gulf Coast University between April 30, 2021, and April 11, 2023.
- Friday starter Trey Cehajic, over the last five games, has gone 19-and-two-third innings, given up 39-hits and 28-runs.
- While his bat may be cooled off, James Agabedis displayed incredible leather at third base. The senior made three outstanding plays at the hot corner, once ending the third, then two straight highlight moments to end the fifth.
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.