Tulane takes care of business vs Rice

(Tulane Athletics photo)

By Andrew Riedell

The Tulane Green Wave welcomed home a bunch of familiar faces this past weekend as they honored the 2005 Tulane team, the last Green Wave team to make it to Omaha, and also welcomed back former head coach David Pierce, recently named Head Coach of the Rice Owls.

Tulane had a successful 4-1 week, dropping a game to Southern Mississippi but taking care of Northwestern State and Rice. Here is how it all happened:

Friday: Tulane 7 Rice 5

Tulane started the weekend off right, striking first in the 3rd inning from the first Tulane home run for Theo Bryant IV and a Connor Rasmussen double to give Tulane an early 2-0 lead. A Kaikea Harrison single in the 4th gave Tulane a 3-0 lead, but that's when Rice broke through against Wave starter Luc Fladda, getting four runs in the 5th to knock him out of the game.

That lead for Rice though was shortlived, though, as Hugh Pinkney sent a grand slam over the left field wall to give Tulane a 7-4 lead. Tayler Montiel who has been great this season, came in after Fladda and shut down the Rice offense for four innings. Dealing with Rice hitters was probably not that stressing, as Montiel took the MCAT Saturday morning. He went four innings, allowed one run on two hits, and struck out four Owls. Michael Lombardi entered in the 9th to close the game for his 8th save of the year.

Saturday Game 1: Tulane 10 Rice 3

Tulane bats started off Saturday hot, knocked a season-high 20 hits, including 4 from James Agabedis and 3 each from both Rasmussen and Bryant IV. Trey Cehajic started for Tulane and was good enough to bridge the game to Carter Benbrook. Cehajic went five innings surrendered three runs.

Tulane got the bats rolling in the 2nd on a bases-clearing double from Brock Slaton, and Theo Bryant IV followed that with a single, later homering in the 6th. Gavin Schulz, Agabedis, and Michael Lombardi were also responsible for RBIs in the Tulane hit parade in game 1. Carter Benbrook came in after Cehajic and dominated vs this Rice lineup as he went 4 innings only surrendering two hits while striking out seven Rice Owls on his way to his first save of the season.

Saturday Game 2: Tulane 6 Rice 5

From a hit parade in Game 1 for Tulane came a strikeout train from Game 3 starter Will Clements for Tulane as he struck out 8 of his first 9 hitters he faced and 10 Owls in total. Clements set the tone for Tulane but it seemed like the offense slowed down in the first half of this game after a Connor Rasmussen RBI single in the 1st. Rice tied the game in the 5th off an RBI double but Tulane retook the lead in the bottom half of the 5th off of a Matthias Haas ground out and Connor Rasmussen RBI single. Rice would take the lead vs Blaise Wilcenski in the top of the 6th but Tanner Chun tied the game up in the bottom of the 8th with a solo home run off the Tulane scoreboard in left field. Jacob Moore also tossed an immacualte inning in the 8th. Rice retook the lead in the 9th vs. Michael Lombardi but after a Jason Wachs lead off single the Wave were down to their final out but Matthias Haas came through and played hero by sending a walk off two run home run over the right field wall to give Tulane a 6-5 win.

Thoughts:

This is what Tulane needed badly. Pitching was good throughout the whole weekend and the lineup was getting production from the bottom of the lineup. After Southeastern Louisiana and UAB at home next weekend the Green Wave hit the road against the top two teams in the AAC against UTSA and East Carolina. They need to keep this momentum going to stay in the top half of the AAC standings and to put themselves in a good position for when the conference tournament rolls around.

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