Pirates Drop C-USA Opener to Tulane, 6-5
March 18, 2005 | Baseball
Sean Morgan (2-0) earned the win for the Green Wave despite facing only one batter in the eighth. Micah Owings started for Tulane, tossing eight innings, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out 10 Pirates and walking just one.
Ricky Brooks (0-1) suffered the loss for ECU, giving up the solo homer in the ninth to break a 5-5 tie. Brooks threw two innings, allowing just the one hit while striking out one and walking three. P.J. Connelly started for the Pirates, allowing two runs on three hits in 4 1/3 innings pitched. The senior left-hander struck out five Green Wave batters and walked three. Kevin Rhodes pitched in relief of Connelly, tossing 1 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits while walking two and striking out one.
Billy Richardson, Mark Minicozzi and Brian Cavanaugh all collected two hits for ECU. Richardson finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored, Minicozzi went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored while Cavanaugh finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Southard and Brad Emaus each collected two hits for Tulane, with Southard finishing 2-for-3 and Emaus batting 2-for-4 with three RBI.
ECU got on the board early, plating three runs in the bottom of the first. Richardson led off the game with a double to right and later scored on a single that chopped over the head of Tulane third baseman Emaus into leftfield. After Mike Grace hit a bloop single over the head of first baseman Scott Madden and Jake Smith was hit by a pitch, Cavanaugh singled to center, scoring Minicozzi and Grace to give ECU a 3-0 lead after one.
Minicozzi drove in Richardson for the second time in as many innings with a double to right-center in the top of the second, scoring Richardson from second for the Pirates' fourth run of the game.
Southard doubled to lead off the bottom of the third for the Green Wave and scored from second on a single to left-center by Tommy Manzella to get Tulane on the board. Emaus hit a solo homer to center in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the Pirate lead to 4-2 after four innings.
The Green Wave tied the game up in the bottom of the sixth when Emaus hit a two-on, two-out double to right-center, scoring Matt Barket and Greg Dini.
Joe Holland hit his first homer of the season in the bottom of the seventh off Rhodes to give the Green Wave a 5-4 lead after seven.
Harrison Eldridge doubled to right-center with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to bring home Cavanaugh, who singled earlier in the inning, to tie the game at five.
The Pirates and the Green Wave return to action Saturday at 3 p.m. EST at Turchin Stadium in New Orleans.
