Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Tulane
Tulane Swings Past Baseball, 11-2
5/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2009
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Sophomore Victor Gomez crushed his 18th homer of the season but Tulane plated 11 runs on 15 hits to help lift the Green Wave to an 11-2 victory over the Thundering Herd in Friday afternoon's Conference USA baseball game at Appalachian Power Park.
With the loss, Marshall falls to 22-29 on the season, 9-14 in C-USA action while Tulane moves to 31-23 overall, 12-11 in league play.
Tulane built an early cushion, scoring four times in the first, twice in the second and once in the fourth to stake a 7-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, junior third baseman Josh Valle legged out a two-out infield single before Gomez lifted a two-run shot over the wall in right field making the score 7-2.
The Green Wave responded with three more runs in the top of the fifth and tacked on a run in the top of the ninth to lift the advantage to 11-2.
Tulane starter Conrad Flynn pitched the first five innings and faced the minimum amount of batters through the first three frames before allowing the infield single to Valle in the fourth. Flynn allowed the homer to Gomez but retired the side in order in the fifth before being lifted in favor of Aaron Loup. Flynn earned the victory and is now 7-3 on the season.
Loup tossed three innings of shutout relief, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out five. Ryan Doiron retired the side in order in the ninth to seal the victory for Tulane.
Herd starter Greg Williams last just 1.2 innings and suffered the loss, falling to 2-5 on the season. The southpaw freshman struck out a pair of batters in the losing effort.
Marshall reliever Shane Farrell entered in the sixth inning and pitched two innings of shutout baseball, fanning four batters while giving up just one hit and one free pass in the process.
Senior right fielder Adam Yeager collected two of the Herd's six hits, while Gomez drove in two on his solo homer. Valle, Gomez, senior centerfielder Nate Lape, and red-shirt freshman Rhett Stafford each had one hit in Friday's loss.
Tulane was led offensively by Seth Henry who was 3-for-5 at the dish with three doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored. Nick Boullosa also notched three hits.
Jeremy Schaffer went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the ninth, two RBIs, two walks and four runs scored.
Josh Prince and Scott Powell each delivered two-hit games for the Green Wave.
Marshall and Tulane will play the series finale, Sunday, with first-pitch slated for 2:05 p.m. ET at Power Park. Freshman lefty Mike Mason will start for the Herd while Josh Zeid will take the hill for the Green Wave.
Prior to Sunday's first-pitch, Marshall will conduct its Senior Day festivities, highlighted by a video board tribute to the program's five departing seniors. Those players are Andrew Blain, Brandon Casamassima, Lape, Brian Mooney, and Yeager.
