The Green Wave dropped its series-opener to the Tigers before rolling to decisive victories in the second and third games of the weekend.
The Tulane Green Wave bounced back from a disappointing Friday night loss to the Memphis Tigers, dominating the visiting squad in the final two games of the weekend to open American Conference play with a series win.
The Sluggerbirds have now won four of their last five games, including a pair of non-conference midweek matchups against the New Orleans Privateers and the Northwestern State Demons.
Tulane avenged a tough 7-6 loss in the opening game of the series with an 11-6 win on Saturday night. The team rallied for a five-run second inning, thanks in part to some free passes from Memphis' pitching and a few perfectly-placed bunts to keep runners on the base paths.
The Tigers tied things back up at five apiece by the top of the fifth inning, but rather than let another lead slip away, the Green Wave turned back to its explosive offense. The home team was able to add four more runs in the sixth inning thanks to a pair of RBI singles from Jason Wachs and Tye Wood.
Tulane added a bit of insurance in the bottom of the seventh inning, taking an 11-5 lead thanks to a double from Kaikea Harrison that drove in two runs. Though Memphis tacked on one final run in the top of the eighth, it was far too late.
Jack Frankel earned the start on the mound, finishing the night with seven hits, four earned runs, one walk and one strikeout in 4.1 innings pitched. Blaise Wilcenski was credited with the win for the Sluggerbirds after pitching 1.2 innings in relief and giving up one run on one hit with three strikeouts and one walked batter.
Sunday's game was even more dominant, but it took a while to get there. The Green Wave rolled to its third run-rule victory of the season, taking down the Tigers by a score of 12-2 in just eight innings.
Memphis was able to strike first with a run in the top of the third inning, but Tulane added a pair of its own in the bottom of the fourth. Matthais Haas doubled to drive in the first run of the game for the home team and tie things at one run apiece, and Trent Liolios quickly followed that up with an RBI single.
Every time the Tigers would creep back in, the Olive Green and Sky Blue would find a way to respond. The visiting rivals managed to tie the score up at two runs each in the top of the sixth, but Tulane would add three runs in the bottom of the frame and one more in the seventh inning to take a commanding 6-2 lead.
In all honesty, it sure seems like the home team's players just wanted to end things early and move on with their days. The Green Wave added six more runs in the eighth inning, ending things early on an RBI double by Liolios.
Tulane will look to keep its momentum from a big weekend rolling as it takes on the Grambling State Tigers on Wednesday night at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.