East Carolina University
Tulane
Schaffer's Home Run Sinks Pirates, 7-4
April 17, 2009 | Baseball
April 17, 2009
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Jeremy Schaffer's two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh lifted Tulane to a 7-4 come from behind win over No. 17 East Carolina Friday night in the Conference USA series opener at Greer Field inside Turchin Stadium.
With the game knotted at four in the bottom half of the seventh, ECU (27-11, 9-4) got two quick outs Josh Prince and Scott Powell both flew out. Sam Honeck followed with a two-out walk before Schaffer cranked his seventh home run of the season to left-center, taking a 6-4 lead. The Wave (21-16, 4-6) would tack on another run when Seth Henry tripled to left scoring Drew Allain, who reached on an infield single.
Jonathan Garrett improved to 3-1 after allowing just two hits over the final 4 2/3 innings with two walks and four strikeouts. Starter Josh Zieid was forced out after 4 1/3 innings where he allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and four strikeouts.
Bailey Daniels suffered the loss falling to 1-1 on the season. The senior right-hander was tagged for three runs (all earned) on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Chris Heston, who made his ninth start of the season, also lasted 4 1/3 innings giving up three runs (all earned) on five hits with three punch outs and two walks before passing the ball to Patrick Somers in the fifth. Somers worked one inning of relief allowing a run.
The Pirates struck early when Ryan Wood smacked his fifth home run of the season on the second pitch of the game to left center for a 1-0 lead.
Kyle Roller pushed the Pirates lead to three, 3-0, in the third thanks to his 10th home run of the year. Wood drew the first of three free passes when he led off with a walk shortly before scoring on Rollers 33rd career homer.
Early in the fourth inning, Tulane seemed to get on the board, but Trent Whitehead made a sensational catch robbing Schaffer of a home run when he climbed the 9-foot wall in left center.
Brandon Henderson extended ECU's lead to 4-0 in the fifth on an RBI single to left that scored Wood from second. Wood drew another free pass then took second on a passed ball before touching home.
The Wave finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth cutting ECU's lead to 4-3. Andrew Rodgers drew an opening frame walk then moved over to third on Jamie Bruno's single through the right side. Matt Ryan followed with an RBI single that scored Rodgers and advanced Bruno to second. Powell drove in the second run with a single up the middle plating Bruno and pushing Ryan to third. Tulane's final run came on a sac fly to center by Honeck scoring Ryan and closing the frame at 4-3.
In the sixth inning Bruno tied the game at four on his base knock just out of the reach of a dinveing Drew Schieber at third scoring Allain, who walked to start the frame, then landed on third after consecutive groundouts.
The Pirates and Wave will be back in action Saturday afternoon for the second game of the series with a first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. (EDT).
Post-Game Notes:
