Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Houston
Marshall Takes Rubber Match Of Series With Houston, 10-4
4/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 29, 2007
Marshall-Houston GameBook
Download Free Acrobat Reader
CHARLESTON - The Marshall University baseball team claimed the rubber match of a three game set with the 28th-ranked Houston Cougars, 10-4, Sunday afternoon in Conference USA action.
Marshall's win on Sunday marked the second consecutive C-USA series win after the Herd took two out of three against Memphis last weekend in Memphis.
With the win, the Herd improves to 19-23, 4-10 in league action, while the Cougars fall to 24-19, 10-5 in Conference USA.
Herd starter Jeremy Slone (Paintsville, Ky.) pitched a masterful game on Sunday, pitching eight and one-third inning, giving up three earned runs on seven hits to get the win and move to 3-2 on the season. Houston starter John Touchton, who pitched four complete and also gave up three earned runs on seven hits, took the loss and dropped to 4-4 for the year.
Marshall was propelled by a six-run fifth inning that blew open a 3-1 game. The Herd had 14 hits and the ten runs scored by Marshall was the third time this season MU has scored ten or more runs in a Conference USA game.
Houston jumped on the board first in the top of the inning, scoring a run Jimmy Cesario's sacrifice fly to left field, which scored Ryan Lormand. Lormand led off the game with a single, advanced to second when Herd starter Jeremy Slone walked second batter Zak Presley, and advanced to third on a Slone wild pitch.
Marshall squandered a good opportunity in the bottom half of the first to counter the Cougars. The Herd loaded the bases with no outs, but came away with no runs after Houston turned a double-play to get the first two outs of the inning. The double play occurred with Brendan Murphy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) flied out to shallow right field, and Nate Lape (Huntington, N.Y.) was caught off of third base attempting to tag up. Cougar starter John Touchton then coaxed a ground out to second by Marshall's Josh Valle (Brentwood, N.Y.) to end the MU threat.
The Herd added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth when Tommy Johnson (Gaithersburg, Md.) doubled in Josh Valle (Brentwood, N.Y.), who earlier singled, and then Blake Sanders (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) grounded out to second to score Brit Vincent (Bowling Green, Ky.), who also singled.
Marshall opened up the game in the bottom of the fifth after the Herd scored six runs on five hits. Barry Laird came into pitch for Cougar starter John Touchton, and Marshall immediately jumped on the Houston reliever. Nate Lape began the inning with a walk, stole second, and scored on a Brandon Casamassima (Colleyville, Texas) bunt single. Then with the bases loaded, Josh Valle singled to right field and scored Jeff Rowley (Buffalo, N.Y.), who earlier singled. Casamassima then scored on a wild pitch. Vincent then came to the plate with Murphy and Valle on second and third, and doubled down the left field line to plate the two base runners. Blake Sanders then capped the Herd's scoring in the inning with a single, knocking in Vincent. The Herd took a 9-1 lead into the top of the seventh inning.
Houston added a run in the top of the seventh when Felix Fanaselle hit a homer over the right field wall that landed across Morris Street into the Family Dollar parking lot.
Marshall added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning after Mason Chapman (Barboursville, W.Va.) tripled with one out, and then Chapman scored on a passed ball from Houston pitcher Brian Tully.
Houston added two runs in the top of the ninth to make the final score, 10-4.
The Herd got a big day out of Lape, who had three hits, scored two runs, and drove in a run. He also stole a base. Brit Vincent also had three hits, while driving in two and scoring two. Brandon Casamassima and Josh Valle also had two hits for the Thundering Herd.
Houston got two-hit days out of Ryan Lormund, and Felix Fanaselle.
Marshall returns to the road next weekend when the Herd travels to Southern Miss for a three game set beginning Friday.
###
