Tulane earns 13-1 win over Texas Southern

NEW ORLEANS, La. – After a week on the road the Tulane baseball team returned home to Greer Field at Turchin Stadium and opened a 12-game run of contests in New Orleans with a 13-1 win over the Texas Southern Tigers Wednesday night.

The Green Wave (10-3) scored in five of the nine innings in the game, exploding for eight runs in a big fourth inning that put the game well out of reach for the Tigers (2-10) who took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Tulane produced 13 hits on the night, with eight different players earning base knocks in the contest.

“All in all, a good game in the fact that we could in the midweek get some guys in the game that haven’t played and see them get in there and do some good things too,” head coach Travis Jewett said. “We’ve got a lot of competitive depth, and it was good to see how our guys prepared hard and saw that success tonight.”

Jonathon Artigues and Hudson Haskin combined for six of Tulane’s 13 hits and five of their 13 runs driven in, as Artigues went 3-for-3 with a triple, four RBI, a walk and a run scored, while Haskin had a pair of doubles, an RBI and four runs scored.

Sal Gozzo had one of Tulane’s three triples, along with Artigues and Logan Stevens, while driving in two and getting walked twice, whole Grant Mathews had a double and single count for his two hits in the game.

C.J. Whelan (2-0) earned his second win of the season as he came on in the first inning and retired 10 of the 11 batters he faced as he went 3.1 innings pitched with five strikeouts. Whelan was one of five pitchers used on the night, as the Tulane pitching staff held Texas Southern to just two hits while striking out nine Tigers in the game.

Things started tough for the Green Wave as starter Josh Bates didn’t get out of the inning walking three consecutive batters after getting the first out of the inning. A sacrifice fly brought in a TSU runner to make it 1-0 Tigers, ending the day for Bates as Whelan came on and would get the final out of the inning without further damage.

Haskin ripped a double down the line in left in the second inning, as Artigues singled to short to put runners at the corners. A wild pitch allowed Haskin to score from third to tie the game at 1-1.

The fourth started the same was as the second, with Haskin getting a base hit through the left side to reach first. Artigues drew a walk to put two on, as Stephen Sepcich reached on a bunt single to load the bases for the Green Wave.

A wild pitch moved everyone up as Haskin broke the deadlock to make it 2-1 Tulane. Gozzo bounced one off the wall in right center to score two more and give Tulane a 4-1 lead on the triple, coming home after Kody Hoese ripped a single to left to make it 5-1 Green Wave.

With two outs on the board, Mathews reached on an error at first base, moving up two bases after consecutive wild pitches. Kobi Owen drew a walk and stole second, leaving first open for Frankie Niemann who was also walked. Haskin was walked as well to bring in another run to make it 6-1, with Artigues hitting a triple down the right field line to plate three more and make it 9-1.

Gozzo drew a walk to open the Tulane fifth, moving to second on a wild pitch after an out. After a fly out to left, Mathews singled to left to make it 10-1 Tulane.

With an out in the sixth, Haskin doubled to left center, as Artigues brought in the freshman with a single to left to give Tulane an 11-1 lead over the Tigers.

In the eighth, Tyler Heinrichs reached first on a passed ball strikeout to open the inning, as Stevens produced his first hit and RBI of his Tulane career with a triple to right to make it 12-1 Tulane. Aaron McKeithan drew a walk to put runners at the corners, as another passed ball allowed Stevens to score to make it 13-1 Tulane for the final run of the game.

Tulane will be back in action this weekend, hosting the UCSB Gauchos for a three-game series beginning Friday at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.