Tulane falls to Cal State Fullerton, 9-6

Box Score (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane baseball took the lead with a four-run eighth inning, but Cal State Fullerton scored four runs in the top of the ninth to win 9-6 Saturday afternoon at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

Trailing 5-2, the Green Wave (5-5) scored on doubles by senior designated hitter Matt Rowland and junior center fielder Grant Witherspoon sandwiched around a two-run single by freshman David Bedgood to move ahead, 6-5. The Titans (3-7), however, scored four runs in the ninth to reclaim the lead.

“Our backs were against the wall after last night’s game and they were pretty much in control throughout, but we talk about playing until the umpire says the game is over and I thought the kids did that,” Tulane head coach Travis Jewett said. “We got a big two-out, two-strike hit from David there to tie it, and then Spoon’s ball deep to right. Credit to them (Fullerton), they’re a good team. We punched, and they punched back. I don’t know if we could have written it up any better. We take a one-run lead going into the top of the ninth at home after we just punched. We had our closer in the game, and I’d do that again 10 out of 10 times if I have the opportunity. We have to find a way tomorrow.”

Rowland doubled off the third base bag to plate the first run of the eighth, scoring junior first baseman Trevor Jensen, who led off the inning with a single. With two outs, Bedgood stepped in to pinch hit and delivered his first career hit and RBI lacing a two-run single on an 0-2 pitch into left field to tie the game, 5-5. Bedgood’s hit scored Rowland and sophomore left fielder Grant Mathews, who followed Jensen with a one-out single to left. Witherspoon then launched a double to the right field wall to score Bedgood and give Tulane the lead for the first time in the game, 6-5.

In the top of the ninth, a leadoff walk was followed by a one-out RBI double by Fullerton right fielder Ruban Cardenas. After a walk to catcher Daniel Cope, designated hitter Chris Prescott hit an RBI single and third baseman Brett Borgogno reached on a throwing error off his sacrifice bunt attempt, allowing Cope to score. A walk loaded the bases, and a single by first baseman Jake Pavletich made it 9-6.

Tulane put together a two-out rally in the second inning for its first two runs of the game. Rowland doubled down the left field line and scored on a base hit by sophomore shortstop Sal Gozzo. After junior right fielder Tyler Heinrichs reached on an infield single, Artigues doubled to right center to score Rowland and cut the deficit to 3-2.

Fullerton scored in the first inning on a bases-loaded walk by Borgogno and an RBI single by left fielder Zach Weisz. An RBI groundout by center fielder Mitchell Berryhill in the second made the score 3-0. The Titans added two runs in the fourth on a two-run single by Berryhill that made it 5-2.

Tulane totaled a season-high 15 hits in the game but committed two errors while CSF tallied 14 hits. Rowland led the way with three hits, and Artigues, Witherspoon, Johnson and Gozzo each collected two hits.

Junior Will McAffer (0-1) took the loss for Tulane while reliever Dillon Brown (1-0) earned the win and Brett Conine the save for Fullerton. Graduate senior Ben White pitched 4.0 scoreless innings in relief of junior starter Ross Massey, who struck out three batters in 4.0 innings for the Wave.

The series finale is 1 p.m. Sunday at Turchin Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at TulaneTix.com or in person at the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office in the James W. Wilson Jr. Center. Saturday’s game will be streamed online and can be heard on 88.3 FM WRBH or via TuneIn Radio.

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Cal State Fullerton 9, Tulane 6 (Mar 03, 2018 at New Orleans, La.)

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Cal State Fullerton. 210 200 004  –  9 14  0      (3-7)

Tulane………….. 020 000 040  –  6 15  2      (5-5)

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Pitchers: Cal State Fullerton – Quezada, Andrew; Wilson, Tommy(7); Brown, Dillon(8);

Conine, Brett(9) and Cope, Daniel. Tulane – MASSEY, Ross; WHITE, Ben(5); McAFFER, Will(9);

BJORNGJELD, Sam(9) and JOHNSON, Ty; OWEN, Acy.

Win-Brown, Dillon(1-0)  Save-Conine, Brett(1)  Loss-McAFFER, Will(0-1)  T-3:11  A-1952

Weather: 68 Sunny, Wind NE @ 7 mph