March 22, 2008

Box Score

NEW ORLEANS, LA - Warren McFadden had three hits and drove in four of his team's five runs as the Tulane University baseball team beat visiting Sacred Heart 5-2 in the second game of a three-game series Saturday afternoon.

Tulane, 15-6, scored three times off SHU starter Jack Wagoner in the first inning thanks to a two-run triple by McFadden and an RBI single by Drew Allain. The Green Wave rally was helped when a pop fly to shallow left eluded the glove of SHU shortstop Phil Tantillo, falling in for a hit with one out and one on. Wagoner would strike out the next Tulane batter, but McFadden followed with his three-bagger.

After that frame, Wagoner settled down and held Tulane scoreless over the next three innings.

"We had a bone-headed play out there in left field," said SHU head coach Nick Giaquinto. "They just didn't communicate and they weren't aggressive, and it cost us a few runs. But you have to tip your hat to their hitters for coming up with the money hit. But Wagoner bounced back from that and threw pretty well."

Sacred Heart, 1-15, got one run back in the second inning when Ryan Lynch and JJ Edwards led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Tantillo sacrificed both runners along, and Lynch scored on a ground out by catcher Phil Riggio.

The Pioneers made it 3-2 with another run in the second on a two-out single by Tyler Santos that scored Ryan Nemcek who had walked and stolen second.

SHU had a chance in the top of the fourth when Edwards and Tantillo led off with consecutive singles. Riggio failed to get the bunt down on the first pitch he saw, and then grounded into a double play started by Tulane starter Aaron Loupe. Loupe then retired Chris Whittemore to end the threat.

The Green Wave got to Wagoner for two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. He retired the first two hitters in the inning but the gave up a bunt single to Jared Dyer. Aja Barto followed with a walk and then Wagoner committed a balk that moved the runners to second and third. McFadden made it hurt with a single to center that scored both runs.

It looked like Tulane might break it open in the sixth when Wagoner walked a pair of batters and had runners on the corners with two outs. Freshman lefty Matt Fitton came out of the pen to retire left-handed batter Anthony Scelfo on a popup to short to end the threat.

Loupe pitched the first seven innings to pick up his second win of the season. He allowed six hits, struck out six and walked two. Mason Griffin struck out the side in the ninth to preserve the win, his fourth save of the season.

"Yesterday, we were probably a little bit shell-shocked early in the game and we were still getting our feet wet," said Giaquinto. "Like I've said before, we're a young team. After yesterday's game, we felt like we belong and that we can play, and we played with a little more confidence. I think we've found a little of that and we built on it. Now the challenge is going to be maintaining that tomorrow."

The teams will complete the series tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. Eastern time.