After a disappointing Friday outing, Tulane put up a pair of strong performances to take down the Bulls and keep its postseason hopes alive.
When it mattered most, the Tulane Green Wave found a way to pick up a pair of massive victories on the diamond.
The Sluggerbirds took down the South Florida Bulls by a score of 9-8 on Saturday, and they won 9-5 on Sunday. Both games were a massive response from Friday night's 16-6 loss. With the wins, the Green Wave is now tied with the Charlotte 49ers for 9th place in the American Conference with one weekend remaining in the regular season.
In Saturday's contest, Tulane managed to come out on top in a back-and-forth contest. The team would fall into a 2-0 hole early before coming back and taking a 6-2 lead in the fifth inning. Though USF was able to tie things right back up, the Olive Green and Sky Blue did something that it hasn't done very well this year: it responded almost immediately. The team brought home three runs in the eighth inning -- as Nate Johnson scored on a wild pitch and Jason Wachs drove in a pair of runs on a single -- to take a 9-6 lead. South Florida would fall just short of tying things up in the ninth.
Jacob Moore was credited with the win on the mound following a night in which he pitched 1.1 innings in relief with three hits, two earned runs and three strikeouts. Trey Cehajic picked up the save.
Offensively, Tulane mustered eight total hits while drawing five walks and striking out just three times. James Agabedis went 2-for-3 at the plate with one run scored and one RBI, while Trent Lillios had a 2-for-4 night with one run scored and one RBI. Johnson and Wachs had two RBI apiece.
The Green Wave took a 3-0 lead in Sunday's contest and held on up until the top of the seventh inning, when the Bulls were able to tie things up. In response, the home team rallied with three runs in the bottom of the frame thanks to a three-run home run by Wachs. The program would add two more runs in the eighth inning on a two-run shot by Tanner Chun, and a double by Brett Rowell would give the team an insurmountable 9-3 advantage.
After picking up a save on Saturday, Cehajic earned the Sunday victory on the mound. He pitched the final 2.2 innings of action, giving up three runs on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
Agabedis, Wachs and Chun each had home runs in the contest, and the team added four doubles as well. Much like in Saturday's contest, the team had some competitive at-bats and only struck out four total times.
Tulane still has work to do if it wants to make the American Conference Tournament, and it won't be easy. The team will wrap up the regular season on the road as it faces the Rice Owls for a three-game series beginning on Thursday.