Tulane Wins Convincingly In Seven Innings Over ECU, 16-3
May 26, 2005 | Baseball
ECU drops to 35-23 with the loss while Tulane improves to 49-9 overall this season.
Micah Owings led the Tulane offense, going 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored. Greg Dini and Mark Hamilton also finished with four RBI with Dini hitting 2-for-3 with three runs while Hamilton went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Tommy Manzella scored a team-high four runs while hitting 2-for-3 while Nathan Southard also collected two hits while scoring two.
Brian Bogusevic picked up his 12th win of the season, allowing two earned runs on 10 hits in six innings of work. Bogusevic struck out six without walking a batter. Sean Morgan tossed the final inning to finish the game for Tulane.
ECU starting pitcher Mike Flye lasted just 1 1/3 innings, allowing a season-high 10 runs on nine hits while striking out two and walking one. Jason Neitz gave up six runs, four of which were earned, on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings of relief. Chris Powell tossed the final inning, striking out two.
Adam Witter finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate while Dale Mollenhauer was the only other Pirate with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 on the day.
Tulane took a big lead early with five runs in the bottom of the first. A Manzella single to center brought home Southard from third for the first run of the game. The Green Wave's fourth single in the first inning came off the bat of Dini, scoring Manzella from second to put Tulane up 2-0. With two outs and two runners on, Hamilton hit an opposite field three-run shot to left to give the Green Wave the early 5-0 lead.
After singles by Witter and Mike Grace in the top of the second, Harrison Eldridge singled to right, scoring Witter from third for the Pirates' first run of the game.
Tulane added five more runs in the second to take a 10-1 lead over ECU. An RBI single by Manzella and consecutive doubles by Owings and Dini brought home three more runs for the Green Wave before a Hamilton single up the middle scored Dini to put the Green Wave into double digits before the second out of the second was recorded.
The Pirates scored their second run of the game on a Mark Minicozzi bloop single to left that scored Brian Cavanaugh from third.
Brad Emaus scored his third run of the game on a Dini sacrifice fly in the fifth before pinch-hitter Will Rice singled home Manzella to push to Green Wave lead to 13.
Cavanaugh hit a two-out infield single on the right side to score Jamie Ray from third in the sixth for ECU's third run.
Matt Barket was the final Wave batter to collect a hit with a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to close the scoring at 16-3.
The Green Wave continued to score runs in the third when Owings hit his career-high 16th homer of the season with a three-run blast over the wall in center, putting Tulane up 13-2 after three.
ECU will now face Houston for the second time in the tournament in an elimination game on Friday, March 27 at 4 p.m. EST at Pete Taylor Park.
