Four-run eighth delivers Tulane midweek win over South Alabama, 11-7

NEW ORLEANS – An eighth inning flurry from the bats of the Tulane University baseball team secured an 11-7 victory over South Alabama in the final midweek contest of the season inside Greer Field at Turchin Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Green Wave pushed four runs across the plate in the bottom of the eighth to break a tie ballgame stringing together three hits and three walks to post the crooked number on the scoreboard.

Junior Tyler Hoffman provided just what the Green Wave needed on the mound down the stretch dealing two scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth to earn his second victory of the season. Hoffman allowed only one hit and struck out a pair in his two innings of work.

The Tulane offense came to life against the Jaguars posting double figures in the scoring column and the hit column for the 12th time this season with 11 runs on 12 hits. The last time the Wave finished with double-digit hits and runs in a game came in the series-clinching 10-5 win over East Carolina (11 hits). Sophomore Simon Baumgardt paced the Green Wave bats with three hits, including two doubles, two runs driven in and two runs scored on the evening.

Graduate student Keaton Knueppel made his first start on the mound for the Green Wave this season and tossed three scoreless innings with one strikeout. The Verona, Wisconsin, product allowed just three hits and no walks in his first start in a Tulane uniform.

The scoring started early for the Wave as Tulane put four runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. After a hit by pitch and a walk freshman Brady Marget brought home the first run of the evening with a single through the right side that scored Gavin Schulz. Freshman Jackson Linn followed with an RBI single of his own before Baumgardt delivered the big hit of the frame with a two-run double into left field to put the Wave up 4-0 at the end of the first frame.

South Alabama put runners on in each of the next two innings, but Knueppel kept his cool on the bump stranding a pair in the second and one in the third to keep the Jaguars scoreless.

The Green Wave went to the bullpen in the top of the fourth as senior Carter Robinson took over on the mound. USA strung together three hits in the frame to get on the board, but Robinson left a pair stranded holding the score at 4-1.

In the bottom of the fifth Tulane got that run back and more to take a six-run lead at 7-1. A throwing error by the Jaguars on a Jared Hart ground ball allowed Baumgardt to score from second for the first run of the frame. Back-to-back RBI-singles from Schulz and Bennett Lee capped the scoring for the Wave in the inning.

Robinson ran into more trouble on the bump in the top of the sixth as the Jaguars responded with a six-run frame to tie the ballgame at 7-7. The big blow in the frame came after Lane Thomas replaced Robinson on the mound with the bases loaded and two out and USA roped a game-tying grand slam over the left field wall.

Tulane reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the eighth when freshman Teo Banks brought home to go-ahead run in the form of Marget on a sacrifice fly to center field. Two hitters later Trevor Minder stepped up to deliver a big insurance run for Tulane with an RBI-double down the left field line. However, the Wave was not done in the frame as junior Brady Hebert capped the clutch inning for Tulane with a rope to center field driving in a pair of run to put the Green Wave up four run heading into the ninth inning.

Despite the Jaguars threatening with runners in scoring position in the final frame, Hoffman closed the door to secure the 11-7 win for the Wave.

UP NEXT: The Wave travel to Wichita, Kansas, to face the Wichita State Shockers this weekend for its final road AAC series of the season.