Rasmussen, Tulane rough up Memphis in opener

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane second baseman Connor Rasmussen turned in a 3-for-4 effort with six RBI as host Tulane drew first blood in its home series with Memphis on Friday, winning 9-5 on Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

The Green Wave improved to 26-20 overall and 10-9 in the American Athletic Conference. The Tigers fell to 19-27 and 6-13 in the league.

Rasmussen, a Fort Mill, S.C. native, had the game’s only homer, a three-run, opposite field shot in the bottom of the first inning. It was his fourth round-tripper of 2024.

Tulane catcher Colin Tuft, designated hitter Michael Lombardi, first baseman Brady Marget and left fielder Gavin Schulz all scored twice.

Memphis designated hitter Jacob Compton knocked in two runs and third baseman Austin Baskin scored twice.

Green Wave starter Luc Fladda evened his record at 3-3 after allowing three runs on just three hits with five strikeouts and four walks in six and one-third innings. The team again got fine relief performances by Henry Shuffler and Jacob Moore. The duo yielded just one hit and three walks over the final two and a third innings.

Tigers starter David Warren (4-4) suffered the defeat. He allowed six runs on four hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Memphis also got a nice pitching performance from Brandon Chorzelewski, who gave up just one hits and three walks with seven strikeouts over four innings.

The homer by Rasmussen and two third-inning tallies staked Tulane to a 5-0 lead and the team kept the visitors at bay the rest of the way.

Both teams walked 10 batters each. Tulane took advantage of 16 consecutive Memphis pitches that missed the strike zone to score its sixth tally of the contest.

Banks has reached base in 16 consecutive contests.

The Green Wave is now 18-1 this season when leading after five innings.

The second game between the two teams will be played at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Turchin. With a win, Tulane would clinch its fourth consecutive series victory.

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