NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane University Baseball Team (10-2) took the rubber match from #9 Mississippi State (6-6) in a 5-4 ballgame on Sunday afternoon inside Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
After getting blown out 19-2 on Friday, Tulane strung together a pair of one-run wins to snatch the series from the reigning College World Series champions.
“The biggest thing for me is the resiliency the guys have shown,” head coach Travis Jewett said. “I want them to enjoy this tonight, but when that clock strikes midnight, it’s a new week and we need to keep getting better.”
Tulane’s six pitchers were able to hold the Bulldogs to just four hits and veteran Trevor Minder got the game-winning knock to cap off a weekend to remember in GFATS.
Freshman Michael Massey made his third start of the year for the Wave and allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings on three hits while striking out three.
Sophomore Cade Smith started for the Bulldogs and gave up four runs on eight hits through 6.1 innings.
The Green Wave wasted no time jumping on Smith in the first. Freshman Brady Marget slapped an opposite-field single to score freshman Gavin Schulz who made his first start of the year at shortstop.
Tulane made it a 2-0 game in the second when Chase Engelhard led off the inning with a double, moved over to third on Jared Hart’s grounder, and scored on a wild pitch.
The Green Wave infield flashed the leather in the top of the fourth. Freshman Brayden Morrow, who made his first start at third, made a leaping grab on a line drive for the second out of the inning and Engelhard made a diving snag on a one-hopper up the middle before he threw out the runner for the third out.
After Massey cruised through the first four frames, the righty found himself in a bases-loaded, two-out jam. Massey walked the next batter, cutting the Tulane lead to 2-1, but the freshman came back and coaxed leadoff man Luke Hancock into an inning-ending groundout.
Ethan Groff continued his tear in the bottom of the fifth when he launched a home run off the scoreboard that was nearly identical to his walk-off on Saturday night. Groff had six home runs in his first two seasons with Tulane (182 at-bats). He now has three home runs this season in just 45 at-bats.
The Bulldogs scored two runs to tie the game at three in the top of the sixth, but Clifton Slagel came in an got two timely outs with the bases loaded to escape the inning.
Mississippi State took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh and was threatening to add on. Lane Thomas came in with runners on first-and-third and was able to get an inning-ending double play to keep the gap at one run.
In the bottom of the seventh, Tulane had the bases juiced when freshman Brady Marget, who hit a grand slam yesterday, came to the plate. Before Marget could see one pitch, the Mississippi State reliever balked, scoring Jared Hart from third and tying the game, 4-4.
In the bottom of the eighth, Simon Baumgardt led off the inning with a double before Engelhard bunted him to third. Trevor Minder then sent a double of his own to left-center, driving in the go-ahead run.
“To be honest with you I was just trying to put the ball in that play,” Minder said. “It’s hard when you don’t come through for your guys, and in this situation, I really wanted to. This is a good team win, that’s the best part.”
UP NEXT: The Wave hit the road to take on University of Southern Mississippi on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in Hattiesburg.
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Tulane fans can ensure that every Green Wave win makes a lasting impact this season by joining the Pledge Per Win campaign. Fans can participate in the Pledge Per Win campaign by pledging to give $5, $10, $25, $50, or $100 to the Green Wave Club for each game the Tulane Baseball team wins this season. Additionally, supporters are encouraged to pledge as little as $1 for every strikeout by Tulane pitchers this season. Fans interested in enrolling in the Pledge Per Win and Pledge Per Strikeout campaigns are encouraged to visit www.GreenWaveClub.com/ppw.
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{Courtesy: Tulane Athletics}
