UPDATE: Our friends over at Gopher Nation have informed us that they will be blogging this weekend. Also, be sure to check out CSTV's score updates.
Despite the freezing cold temperatures outside, a modest contingency (albeit relatively quiet and focused on keeping warm) of Tulane fans showed up to see the Green Wave pummel No. 25 Louisiana-Lafayette. Junior Anthony Scelfo notched not one, but two triples. He had three hits for the night and a walk in five plate appearances. For those who missed it, you can actually "replay" the game with CSTV's nifty gametracker.
Player of the Game: Jonathan Garrett
While Scelfo reeked havoc at the top of the lineup (along with junior Drew Allain, who looked really good at the lead-off spot again), junior starter Jonathan Garret pitched a heck of a game, giving up only a hit in six scoreless innings. Sure, the Cajuns offense might be struggling, but Garret looked sharp with his location and featured some nasty breaking balls.
Stat of the Game: 1
That's the number of earned runs the bullpen gave up today, the first its given up over the course of the young season. That puts them well short of the 2005 Tulane bullpen's feat of no runs allowed in its first 15 games. But the culprit was third baseman and part-time reliever Rob Segedin, which begs the question: should that really count?
Coming Up
The Green Wave will be in Minnesota for the Dairy Queen Classic. Its opponents will include the Gophers as well as TCU and Pepperdine (which, other than Rice and UC Irvine, may be the best team TUlane faces in the regular season).
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Baseball over Southeastern Louisiana, 4-3
What a thriller!! A game-winning single by junior Sam Honeck in the bottom of the 12th keeps the Green Wave undefeated. But the real MVPs tonight were the Tulane bullpen, which only allowed one run (an unearned one in the 11th inning). Junior Drew Allain did an admirable job at the top of the lineup. Here is a recap, along with quotes and a box score.
Two things worry me about this team to this point. First, let's hope the starters can go deeper than five innings so that Jones won't have to overextend the bullpen. The dominance of this unit reminds me a lot of the 2005 relief staff that didn't give up an earned run in its first 15 games of the season. Still, it will be crucial to have these arms fresh for Conference USA and (in all likelihood) postseason play. The other issue is the offense, which, other than a few big innings (caused by Illinois-Chicago's horrendous defense), looks a little shaky so far. Of course, the optimists will point out that the guys struggling so far are freshmen like infielder Rob Segedin or transfers still settling in like sophomore shortstop Josh Prince.
But overall, this team looks like it's ready for a challenge like No. 25 Louisiana-Lafayette tomorrow or Pepperdine in the Dairy Queen Classic (great name) this weekend.
Two things worry me about this team to this point. First, let's hope the starters can go deeper than five innings so that Jones won't have to overextend the bullpen. The dominance of this unit reminds me a lot of the 2005 relief staff that didn't give up an earned run in its first 15 games of the season. Still, it will be crucial to have these arms fresh for Conference USA and (in all likelihood) postseason play. The other issue is the offense, which, other than a few big innings (caused by Illinois-Chicago's horrendous defense), looks a little shaky so far. Of course, the optimists will point out that the guys struggling so far are freshmen like infielder Rob Segedin or transfers still settling in like sophomore shortstop Josh Prince.
But overall, this team looks like it's ready for a challenge like No. 25 Louisiana-Lafayette tomorrow or Pepperdine in the Dairy Queen Classic (great name) this weekend.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Baseball Roundup: No. 18 vs. No. 25 Wednesday night in Turchin
The new Baseball America (the best publication in the business) rankings are out, and Tulane jumped from No.22 to No. 18 following its sweep of Illinois-Chicago. Meanwhile, tomorrow night's opponent, Louisiana-Lafayette (2-2), jumped to No. 25 after being unranked to begin the season [UPDATE: One commenter noted correctly that ULL was actually ranked No. 19 to begin the season -- my apologies]. The only other notable ranking is Rice at No. 15, as East Carolina dropped out after a bad weekend. Here are some other rankings out there (note: future TUlane opponents Pepperdine and UC Irvine are ranked in many of these polls).
The different between Baseball America and other rankings is that the Baseball America people actually watch the games. So Arizona, for example, won two of three on the road in Georgia to start the season, a very tough place to play. Other rankings dropped Arizona a little bit for losing a game, but Baseball America put them at No. 1 because of how well they played and the competitiveness of the Sun Devil's 9-7 opening-day loss. Bottom line: I trust Baseball America's ranking more than any of the other ones.
Tonight's starters vs. SELA
Sophomore lefty Matt Petitone, a former high school All-American, will take the mound against Lions lefthander, Rene LeBlanc. Petitone is a transfer from North Carolina and a native of Garden City, N.Y.
Tomorrow Night's Starters vs. ULL
Junior right-hander Jonathan Garret will make the second start of his career Wednesday night against the No. 25 Ragin' Cajuns. He will face lefty John Zorich.
The different between Baseball America and other rankings is that the Baseball America people actually watch the games. So Arizona, for example, won two of three on the road in Georgia to start the season, a very tough place to play. Other rankings dropped Arizona a little bit for losing a game, but Baseball America put them at No. 1 because of how well they played and the competitiveness of the Sun Devil's 9-7 opening-day loss. Bottom line: I trust Baseball America's ranking more than any of the other ones.
Tonight's starters vs. SELA
Sophomore lefty Matt Petitone, a former high school All-American, will take the mound against Lions lefthander, Rene LeBlanc. Petitone is a transfer from North Carolina and a native of Garden City, N.Y.
Tomorrow Night's Starters vs. ULL
Junior right-hander Jonathan Garret will make the second start of his career Wednesday night against the No. 25 Ragin' Cajuns. He will face lefty John Zorich.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Men's Basketball vs. Southern Miss 2nd Half
The Wave fall once again, 70-59. That's the fifth straight defeat after the day started with such great promise. It'll be a very disappointed locker room but the Wave still have an opportunity to salvage the season.
Gotta love the Tulane pep band who chants "education" while USM fans start their cheer
13.6 Wise hits two more free throws. Wave down 11.
25.4 Mayhane shoots a three that gets nothing but air. Stith grabs the offensive rebound. Mayhane puts up another three and is fouled. All three shots are good but the Wave trail by 9.
41.7 Stith commits the foul after Sims missed the layup. Wise with another two free throws. Both are good once again and the Wave will need a miracle down by 12.
1:02 Sims grabs Wise and commits the foul. Both free throws are good and the Wave trail by 10.
1:29 Mayhane misses the three and S. Miss brings it up slowly.
2:48 Stith is fouled hard going for the dunk. He'll have two crucial free throws after the official timeout. The first free throw is good but the second rims out. Gomez taps it out to Stith. Wave commits the turnover after it's knocked away from Stith. Southern Miss comes away with it and hits a three pointer, that could be the dagger as the Wave trail by 8.
3:02 Craft hits a jumper to push the lead out to 6.
3:30 Gomez's shot rolls in and out. Unlucky for the Wave. Southern Miss calls a timeout with 26 left on the shot clock.
4:55 Richard commits the loose-ball foul as Mayhane turned it over. One of two free throws for Craft. Richard ends up with the ball after the second free throw is no good. He outlets it to Sims who lays it in and appears to have been fouled. No call. Wave down 57-53.
5:57 Mayhane commits the shooting foul on Stephens. The first goes in and out. The 2nd is good. 56-51 Eagles.
A crucial possession game coming up for the Wave as they trail by 4 with six minutes left. Southern Miss has possession with 13 left on the shot clock.
7:05 Wheaton telegraphed that last pass and it was picked off by Wise. Wheaton commits the foul on Wise who was going in for the layup. Mayhane quickly back to the scorer's table to check in for Wheaton. Wise hits 1 of 2 free throws to make it a 4 point game.
7:44 Gomez grabs the miss by Louisme and lays it in to cut it to 1.
8:47 Sims misses his first three of the game but S. Miss turns the ball over out of bounds on the other end.
9:18 Wise drops it in high off glass to give S. Miss a 3 point lead. Dickerson calls timeout.
10:27 Stith commits the foul on Stephens who hits the layup. The free throw is long and Gomez comes up with it. Mayhane commits the turnover on the traveling violation.
10:49 Louisme hits the one handed hook to make it 49-48 Tulane
11:16 Bad foul by Wheaton as he committed the turnover right before. S. Miss in the bonus the rest of the way.
11:40 Gomez commits the foul on Wise. He hits both free throws to make it 48-47 Eagles
11:48 Louisme rolls in the jumper but is called for the offensive foul. The ball will go back to S. Miss after the official timeout. The Wave up to 61.5% from three point range.
12:26 Mayhane hits a three from the left wing to give Tulane the lead back, 47-46.
12:55 Wise hits a step back three pointer to give the Eagles the lead 46-44
13:36 Stephens hits the layup and is fouled by Stith. The three point play is not converted but Stephens rebounds his own miss and lays it back in. Wave up by 1, 44-43
14:55 Mayhane hits another three for the Wave to extend the lead out to 5. Wave shooting lights out tonight, up to 61% from the field and 7-12 from long distance.
15:38 Louisme drives the baseline and drops in a soft jumper. Wave up 2.
16:15 Richard hits the soft hook to tie it at 39 apiece.
16:51 Beasley hits a jumper to give S. Miss the lead by 2.
17:07 Richard hits another three to tie it up at 37. Richard is 3-4 so far.
17:26 Sims fouls Wise on the fastbreak to prevent the easy basket. Wise hits both and So. Miss has its biggest lead of the ball game at 3 points.
18:13 Louisme is fouled shooting a jumper and will have two free throws. Wave went 3-5 from the stripe in the first half. The first attempt is no good as is the second. Wave still up by 1, 34-33
18:50 Richard converts on a layup with the shot clock winding down to extend the lead out to three.
Southern Miss opens up in man-to-man for the first time this game it seems.
Sims leads all scorers with 15 points on 5-5 shooting, 3-3 from beyond the arc.
The Wave shot a blistering 57% from the field in the first half but still only have a 1 point cushion mainly due to 8 turnovers. If the Wave take care of the basketball in the second half, they should pull out the win.
Gotta love the Tulane pep band who chants "education" while USM fans start their cheer
13.6 Wise hits two more free throws. Wave down 11.
25.4 Mayhane shoots a three that gets nothing but air. Stith grabs the offensive rebound. Mayhane puts up another three and is fouled. All three shots are good but the Wave trail by 9.
41.7 Stith commits the foul after Sims missed the layup. Wise with another two free throws. Both are good once again and the Wave will need a miracle down by 12.
1:02 Sims grabs Wise and commits the foul. Both free throws are good and the Wave trail by 10.
1:29 Mayhane misses the three and S. Miss brings it up slowly.
2:48 Stith is fouled hard going for the dunk. He'll have two crucial free throws after the official timeout. The first free throw is good but the second rims out. Gomez taps it out to Stith. Wave commits the turnover after it's knocked away from Stith. Southern Miss comes away with it and hits a three pointer, that could be the dagger as the Wave trail by 8.
3:02 Craft hits a jumper to push the lead out to 6.
3:30 Gomez's shot rolls in and out. Unlucky for the Wave. Southern Miss calls a timeout with 26 left on the shot clock.
4:55 Richard commits the loose-ball foul as Mayhane turned it over. One of two free throws for Craft. Richard ends up with the ball after the second free throw is no good. He outlets it to Sims who lays it in and appears to have been fouled. No call. Wave down 57-53.
5:57 Mayhane commits the shooting foul on Stephens. The first goes in and out. The 2nd is good. 56-51 Eagles.
A crucial possession game coming up for the Wave as they trail by 4 with six minutes left. Southern Miss has possession with 13 left on the shot clock.
7:05 Wheaton telegraphed that last pass and it was picked off by Wise. Wheaton commits the foul on Wise who was going in for the layup. Mayhane quickly back to the scorer's table to check in for Wheaton. Wise hits 1 of 2 free throws to make it a 4 point game.
7:44 Gomez grabs the miss by Louisme and lays it in to cut it to 1.
8:47 Sims misses his first three of the game but S. Miss turns the ball over out of bounds on the other end.
9:18 Wise drops it in high off glass to give S. Miss a 3 point lead. Dickerson calls timeout.
10:27 Stith commits the foul on Stephens who hits the layup. The free throw is long and Gomez comes up with it. Mayhane commits the turnover on the traveling violation.
10:49 Louisme hits the one handed hook to make it 49-48 Tulane
11:16 Bad foul by Wheaton as he committed the turnover right before. S. Miss in the bonus the rest of the way.
11:40 Gomez commits the foul on Wise. He hits both free throws to make it 48-47 Eagles
11:48 Louisme rolls in the jumper but is called for the offensive foul. The ball will go back to S. Miss after the official timeout. The Wave up to 61.5% from three point range.
12:26 Mayhane hits a three from the left wing to give Tulane the lead back, 47-46.
12:55 Wise hits a step back three pointer to give the Eagles the lead 46-44
13:36 Stephens hits the layup and is fouled by Stith. The three point play is not converted but Stephens rebounds his own miss and lays it back in. Wave up by 1, 44-43
14:55 Mayhane hits another three for the Wave to extend the lead out to 5. Wave shooting lights out tonight, up to 61% from the field and 7-12 from long distance.
15:38 Louisme drives the baseline and drops in a soft jumper. Wave up 2.
16:15 Richard hits the soft hook to tie it at 39 apiece.
16:51 Beasley hits a jumper to give S. Miss the lead by 2.
17:07 Richard hits another three to tie it up at 37. Richard is 3-4 so far.
17:26 Sims fouls Wise on the fastbreak to prevent the easy basket. Wise hits both and So. Miss has its biggest lead of the ball game at 3 points.
18:13 Louisme is fouled shooting a jumper and will have two free throws. Wave went 3-5 from the stripe in the first half. The first attempt is no good as is the second. Wave still up by 1, 34-33
18:50 Richard converts on a layup with the shot clock winding down to extend the lead out to three.
Southern Miss opens up in man-to-man for the first time this game it seems.
Sims leads all scorers with 15 points on 5-5 shooting, 3-3 from beyond the arc.
The Wave shot a blistering 57% from the field in the first half but still only have a 1 point cushion mainly due to 8 turnovers. If the Wave take care of the basketball in the second half, they should pull out the win.
Men's Basketball vs. Southern Miss 1st Half
0.0 Gomez heaves it from half court but it is way off line. The Wave take a one point lead into halftime at 32-31.
50.4 Beasley hits two free throws to make it a one point game, 32-31.
1:13 Louisme is fouled going to the basket and will shoot two free throws. The first is good...but the second is not. Tulane grabs the offensive rebound but Gomez commits the turnover.
1:30 Wise lays it on the fastbreak and the lead is cut to two.
2:25 Sims hits a jumper from inside the free thow line.
3:16 Louisme scores on the reverse layup and the Wave back up by 4, 29-25
4:04 Shot clock violation on the Wave. Richard's heave didn't touch iron.
5:03 Courtney Beasley lays it in after a nice feed and Dickerson calls timeout as the Eagles are on a 7-0 run.
5:29 Kraft hits a three for S. Miss and the lead shrinks to 4
6:42 Sims hits another three, he's been perfect from three so far. Wave up 27-18
7:46 Richard hits the three with the shot clock running out. The Wave are up 24-16.
8:57 Mayhanne misses the three as it rolls in and then out.
9:54 Gomez commits the foul on Wise, who will have two free throw attempts. The first one is no good and the second rolls in. 21-16 Wave
10:14 Gomez scores on the short jumper. I do believe that bucket is his first of the game. Wave up 21-15
10:59 After committing the turnover, Wheaton draws the charge on S. Miss on the fastbreak attempt. It'll be Wave ball after the timeout.
11:47 Sims hits an NBA range three from the top of the key. Wave still perfect from three
12:38 Great ball fake from McQueen and he hits the soft hook to extend the lead out to 4.
13:40 Richard hits a three from the left wing to give the Wave lead 14-12. Wave 2 of 2 from long distance so far
13:59 Wise converts at the other end on the fastbreak. S. Miss up 12-11.
15:08 Sims hits the Wave's first three pointer of the game. Wave up 11-8
15:45 Wise hits another three for the Eagles. Game tied at 8
16:08 Great movement off the ball by Wheaton as he takes in the pass from Richard and lays it in easily. Wave up 3
17:02 Sims is fouled and will shoot two free throws. Sims hits the first and the second. Wave up 6-5
17:48 Great hustle by Richard is wasted as Louisme throws it too deep for Gomez to grab.
18:14 Louisme drops in the hook shot and S. Miss calls a timeout. Eustachy was not very happy.
19:19 Sims drives the lane and lays it in, he's fouled in the process but cant hit the free throw.
19:37 Andre Stephens scores the first bucket of the game for S. Miss on a jumper.
One lineup change this evening as Kris Richard starts ahead of Daniel Puckett
The crowd is very different than it was Wednesday. In fact, there may be more visiting fans than Tulane fans 10 minutes to tip-off. Looking behind me, I can count the number of students in attendance on one hand.
Tulane takes on Southern Miss in a crucial game this evening at Fogelman. Coming off of another (somewhat expected) loss this past Wednesday against Memphis, the Wave will look to stop the bleeding of four consecutive losses. The two teams met earlier in the season with Southern Miss defeating the Wave 71-54 in Hattiesburg. In that game, the Wave were plagued by poor shooting and will have to shoot better to have any chance of coming out with a victory.
Look for Dave Gomez to once again lead the Wave tonight, while the Wave will have to watch S. Miss guard Jeremy Wise very closely. The sophomore leads the Golden Eagles in scoring and is amongst the top 5 overall in Conference USA.
50.4 Beasley hits two free throws to make it a one point game, 32-31.
1:13 Louisme is fouled going to the basket and will shoot two free throws. The first is good...but the second is not. Tulane grabs the offensive rebound but Gomez commits the turnover.
1:30 Wise lays it on the fastbreak and the lead is cut to two.
2:25 Sims hits a jumper from inside the free thow line.
3:16 Louisme scores on the reverse layup and the Wave back up by 4, 29-25
4:04 Shot clock violation on the Wave. Richard's heave didn't touch iron.
5:03 Courtney Beasley lays it in after a nice feed and Dickerson calls timeout as the Eagles are on a 7-0 run.
5:29 Kraft hits a three for S. Miss and the lead shrinks to 4
6:42 Sims hits another three, he's been perfect from three so far. Wave up 27-18
7:46 Richard hits the three with the shot clock running out. The Wave are up 24-16.
8:57 Mayhanne misses the three as it rolls in and then out.
9:54 Gomez commits the foul on Wise, who will have two free throw attempts. The first one is no good and the second rolls in. 21-16 Wave
10:14 Gomez scores on the short jumper. I do believe that bucket is his first of the game. Wave up 21-15
10:59 After committing the turnover, Wheaton draws the charge on S. Miss on the fastbreak attempt. It'll be Wave ball after the timeout.
11:47 Sims hits an NBA range three from the top of the key. Wave still perfect from three
12:38 Great ball fake from McQueen and he hits the soft hook to extend the lead out to 4.
13:40 Richard hits a three from the left wing to give the Wave lead 14-12. Wave 2 of 2 from long distance so far
13:59 Wise converts at the other end on the fastbreak. S. Miss up 12-11.
15:08 Sims hits the Wave's first three pointer of the game. Wave up 11-8
15:45 Wise hits another three for the Eagles. Game tied at 8
16:08 Great movement off the ball by Wheaton as he takes in the pass from Richard and lays it in easily. Wave up 3
17:02 Sims is fouled and will shoot two free throws. Sims hits the first and the second. Wave up 6-5
17:48 Great hustle by Richard is wasted as Louisme throws it too deep for Gomez to grab.
18:14 Louisme drops in the hook shot and S. Miss calls a timeout. Eustachy was not very happy.
19:19 Sims drives the lane and lays it in, he's fouled in the process but cant hit the free throw.
19:37 Andre Stephens scores the first bucket of the game for S. Miss on a jumper.
One lineup change this evening as Kris Richard starts ahead of Daniel Puckett
The crowd is very different than it was Wednesday. In fact, there may be more visiting fans than Tulane fans 10 minutes to tip-off. Looking behind me, I can count the number of students in attendance on one hand.
Tulane takes on Southern Miss in a crucial game this evening at Fogelman. Coming off of another (somewhat expected) loss this past Wednesday against Memphis, the Wave will look to stop the bleeding of four consecutive losses. The two teams met earlier in the season with Southern Miss defeating the Wave 71-54 in Hattiesburg. In that game, the Wave were plagued by poor shooting and will have to shoot better to have any chance of coming out with a victory.
Look for Dave Gomez to once again lead the Wave tonight, while the Wave will have to watch S. Miss guard Jeremy Wise very closely. The sophomore leads the Golden Eagles in scoring and is amongst the top 5 overall in Conference USA.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Baseball vs. Illinois-Chicago (Game 1)
Final Score: Tulane 6, Illinois-Chicago 0.
Quotes and analysis to follow this weekend.
Ninth Inning
Top Half
The Green Wave is three outs away from winning its season opener. Closer Mason Griffin, a right-handed submariner with a great breaking ball.
Batter 1: After Rubio works the count to 1-1, the Flames pull him and put in Devin Melecio to throw off Griffin. The bizarre move doesn't pay off as Melecio hits a weak chopper to Griffin, who throws him out.
Batter 2: Altavilla, bewildered by Grffin's breaking ball, swings wildly at one way off the plate for the second out.
Batter 3: Rutto grounds out to the third baseman. Game Over.
Eighth Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: With Trey Martin pitching for the Green Wave, Ganek grounds out to start the inning.
Batter 2: Infielder Andy Leonard singles to the right field gap but can't turn it into two.
Batter 3: Mcguiggan fouls out to the right field bullpen area.
Batter 4: Garcia grounds into a force out to end the inning.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Adam Worthington now in to pitch for the Flames. Barto leads off the inning by grounding out to the shortstop.
Batter 2: Jared Dyer, looking for the first four-hit game of his career, works the count to 2-2, then fouls off about six pitches before striking out on a pitch in the dirt. Two outs.
Batter 3: Henry pops up to end the inning. Looks like Mason Griffin will come in to close out the game for the Green Wave.
Seventh Inning
Top Half
Shooter Hunt has left the game. His line: 6.0 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, 8 strikeouts
Batter 1: Another dribbler in front of the catcher, another great play by Dyer. He's the MVP of the game so far.
Batter 2: Schaffer grounds out to the second baseman Henry. Two outs.
Batter 3: Yet another dribbler in front of Dyer, who tosses it to first base to end the inning.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Righty Chris Kovacevich comes in for Phillis and gets off to a good start by striking out McFadden.
Batter 2: Scelfo hits a blooper to the second baseman. Two quick outs.
Batter 3: Segedin hits a sharp grounder to the third baseman, who throws him out. Inning over.
Sixth Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Garcia grounds out to Segedin for the first out. Tulane's defense has been outstanding so far.
Batter 2: Rubio grounds out to Segedin. Hunt is starting to pitch to contact more as the game wears on.
Batter 3: Altavilla dribbles a ball three feet in front of the catcher, Dyer, who promptly throws him out to end the inning.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: With the count full, Segedin smashes a ball throught the left side of the infield. Flames starter Grant Kohlstaedt looks vulnerable right now. I predict at least a run this inning.
Batter 2: On a 2-2 pitch, Barto makes contact on an off-speed pitch low and away and drives through the left side of the infield for a hit. The Green Wave hitters continue to take Kohlsteadt deep into counts. Runners on first and second, no outs.
Batter 3: After trying to bunt the runners over on the first pitch, Dyer gets a hit to load the bases. Kohlsteadt gets yanked by Flames coach Mike Dee, who brings in left hander Don Phillis to face Seth Henry, who usually struggles against southpaws. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict three runs this inning instead of one.
Batter 4: Henry hits a line drive down the left field line, but it lands foul. He strikes out on the next pitch. Bases still loaded, one out.
Batter 5: After telling everyone i the press box that the next pitch would be a hit, Prince sure enough dribbles one to the third baseman, than beats out the throw to make me look like a genious. 5-0 Tulane
Batter 6: Phillis, the Flames' reliever, stops a sharp grounder at his legs. With an easy force-out available at home plate, he unexplicably throws the ball to first, allowing the run to score. Runners on second and third, two outs. 6-0 Tulane.
Batter 7: Strikeout
Fifth Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Jason Ganek strikes out looking. That's seven strikeouts for Hunt, who hasn't shown signs of slowing down yet.
Batter 2: Leonard strikes out looking. Eight strikeouts now.
Batter 3: McGuiggan successfully bunts his way on base, then gets caught stealing to end the inning. Inning over.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Allain strikes out swinging.
Batter 2: Honeck gets under a pitch and flies out to center field. Two outs
Batter 3: McFadden beats out a throw to first on a routine grounder. The scorekeeper rules it as an error.Surpringly, that's only three for the game by the Flames despite all the mistakes they've made in the field.
Batter 4: Scelfo looks like he had a pitch to hit, but gets under the ball slightly. The ball lands just shy of the warning track.Inning over.
Thoughts so far:
Both pitchers look great so far. The difference has been Illinois-Chicago's poor defense.
Fourth inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Altavilla gets a hit to lead off the inning. It's the least he could do for botching at least three plays in the field.
Batter 2: Schaefer strikes out.
Batter 3: Coddington gets caught looking to end the inning. Hunt
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Barto makes great contact, but gets under the pitch a little bit and flies out to left field.
Batter 2: Dyer with another hit, this time a solid base hit to left field.
Batter 3: henry reaches on a dying quail to right field, but Dyer, unsure of whether the ball would drop for a hit), can't advance to third. Runners on first and second.
Batter 4: Prince grounds sharply to the third baseman, who steps on the bag and the fires the ball across the infield for a double play. Dyer's inability to advane to third comes back to haunt the Green Wave. Inning over.
Third Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Ho-hum groundout by No. 8 hitter McGuiggan.
Batter 2: Pop-up by shortstop Garcia. Two easy outs for Hunt.
Batter 3: Ty Rubio finally gets Illinois-Chcago its first hit of the game. However, someone forgot to tell Rubio that the baselines are slippery, which means base runners are prone to over-sliding. Sure enough, Rubio over-slides and gets tagged out. Inning over.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: McFadden strikes out swinging on a 2-2 pitch.
Batter 2: Scelfo draws a walk.
Batter 3: Scelfo gets caught stealing on a perfect throw by Coddington. Segudin flies out to end the inning. Illinois-Chicago pitcher Grant Kohlstaedt has thrown a heck of a game, but his defense has let him down so far.
Second Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Ground out by cleanup hitter Brent Schaeffer. Close call, but it looked like Tulane got the benefit of the doubt again.
Batter 2: Hunt hits catcher Kevin Coddington. Second baserunner of the game.
Batter 3: Jason Ganek strikes out on a 2-2 pitch. Hunt is throwing high 90s right now.
Batter 4: Andy Leonard strikes out as well. It's going to be a long night for Illinois-Chicago if they continue to hit like this.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Jared Dyer crushes a fastball inside to notch the first home run in Turchin-Greer history! 4-0 Tulane
Batter 2: Seth Henry hits a sharp grounder to the shortstop Garcia, who was playing too deep to make a play. That's three infield hits for Tulane.
Batter 3: Henry steals second, then heads to third after a bad throw by the catcher. But Allain strikes out with a man on third and only one out.
Batter 4: Honeck gets robbed of an RBI on a great play by the second baseman. Inning over.
First Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Hunt strikes out outfielder Ty Rubio on a questionable third strike to start the game. Nothing like a little home cookin' to christen Turchin-Greer.
Batter 2: Strike 'em out, throw 'em out. Hunt looks jittery, but sharp
Batter 3: Hunt walks arguably ICU's best hitter, left fielder Chris Rutta. Green Wave catcher Jared Dyer goes out to calm Hunt down.
Batter 4: Rutta gets picked off by Hunt. Why was he even thinking of stealing (four steals all last year)? Inning over.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Texas transfer Josh Prince records the first hit in Turchin-Greer history, a weak grounder to the shortstop, who had no play.
Batter 2: Allain bounces one over the pitcher's head. The shortstop, Rafael Garcia, drew first baseman Tony Altavilla off the bag (another instance of "home cookin').
Batter 3: Honeck strikes out on an off-speed pitch, certainly not what you want with runners on first and second.ONE OUT
Batter 4: The runners execute a double stealm but McFadden walks anyway. BASES LOADED
Batter 5: Altavilla bobbles what could have been a 3-6-3 double play. Scelfo is still out, but McFadden and Allain advance while Prince scores. 1-0 Tulane
Batter 6: Another bad play by Altavilla on a grounder by Segudin scores both runners. Segudin andvances to second as the outfielder tries to throw out McFadden at the plate. 3-0 Tulane
Batter 7: Barto fouls out to, of all people, Altavilla, to end the inning. Terrible fielding by the ICU led to all three runs.
Pregame
It's opening night here at Turchin. My apologies for being late with the blog, as even the distinguished members of the media such as myself had trouble finding their seats. The game began with fireworks...literally. Tulane Athletics sponsored a surprise fireworks show over the outfield fence to begin the game.
The bad news is people are getting ticketed $75 for parking on the neutral ground on Claiborne. In addition, the scoreboard operators are having trouble tonight (can't fault them for that, although the operator keeps asking everyone in the press box: "Does anyone have a manual for this thing?").
Quotes and analysis to follow this weekend.
Ninth Inning
Top Half
The Green Wave is three outs away from winning its season opener. Closer Mason Griffin, a right-handed submariner with a great breaking ball.
Batter 1: After Rubio works the count to 1-1, the Flames pull him and put in Devin Melecio to throw off Griffin. The bizarre move doesn't pay off as Melecio hits a weak chopper to Griffin, who throws him out.
Batter 2: Altavilla, bewildered by Grffin's breaking ball, swings wildly at one way off the plate for the second out.
Batter 3: Rutto grounds out to the third baseman. Game Over.
Eighth Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: With Trey Martin pitching for the Green Wave, Ganek grounds out to start the inning.
Batter 2: Infielder Andy Leonard singles to the right field gap but can't turn it into two.
Batter 3: Mcguiggan fouls out to the right field bullpen area.
Batter 4: Garcia grounds into a force out to end the inning.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Adam Worthington now in to pitch for the Flames. Barto leads off the inning by grounding out to the shortstop.
Batter 2: Jared Dyer, looking for the first four-hit game of his career, works the count to 2-2, then fouls off about six pitches before striking out on a pitch in the dirt. Two outs.
Batter 3: Henry pops up to end the inning. Looks like Mason Griffin will come in to close out the game for the Green Wave.
Seventh Inning
Top Half
Shooter Hunt has left the game. His line: 6.0 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, 8 strikeouts
Batter 1: Another dribbler in front of the catcher, another great play by Dyer. He's the MVP of the game so far.
Batter 2: Schaffer grounds out to the second baseman Henry. Two outs.
Batter 3: Yet another dribbler in front of Dyer, who tosses it to first base to end the inning.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Righty Chris Kovacevich comes in for Phillis and gets off to a good start by striking out McFadden.
Batter 2: Scelfo hits a blooper to the second baseman. Two quick outs.
Batter 3: Segedin hits a sharp grounder to the third baseman, who throws him out. Inning over.
Sixth Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Garcia grounds out to Segedin for the first out. Tulane's defense has been outstanding so far.
Batter 2: Rubio grounds out to Segedin. Hunt is starting to pitch to contact more as the game wears on.
Batter 3: Altavilla dribbles a ball three feet in front of the catcher, Dyer, who promptly throws him out to end the inning.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: With the count full, Segedin smashes a ball throught the left side of the infield. Flames starter Grant Kohlstaedt looks vulnerable right now. I predict at least a run this inning.
Batter 2: On a 2-2 pitch, Barto makes contact on an off-speed pitch low and away and drives through the left side of the infield for a hit. The Green Wave hitters continue to take Kohlsteadt deep into counts. Runners on first and second, no outs.
Batter 3: After trying to bunt the runners over on the first pitch, Dyer gets a hit to load the bases. Kohlsteadt gets yanked by Flames coach Mike Dee, who brings in left hander Don Phillis to face Seth Henry, who usually struggles against southpaws. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict three runs this inning instead of one.
Batter 4: Henry hits a line drive down the left field line, but it lands foul. He strikes out on the next pitch. Bases still loaded, one out.
Batter 5: After telling everyone i the press box that the next pitch would be a hit, Prince sure enough dribbles one to the third baseman, than beats out the throw to make me look like a genious. 5-0 Tulane
Batter 6: Phillis, the Flames' reliever, stops a sharp grounder at his legs. With an easy force-out available at home plate, he unexplicably throws the ball to first, allowing the run to score. Runners on second and third, two outs. 6-0 Tulane.
Batter 7: Strikeout
Fifth Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Jason Ganek strikes out looking. That's seven strikeouts for Hunt, who hasn't shown signs of slowing down yet.
Batter 2: Leonard strikes out looking. Eight strikeouts now.
Batter 3: McGuiggan successfully bunts his way on base, then gets caught stealing to end the inning. Inning over.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Allain strikes out swinging.
Batter 2: Honeck gets under a pitch and flies out to center field. Two outs
Batter 3: McFadden beats out a throw to first on a routine grounder. The scorekeeper rules it as an error.Surpringly, that's only three for the game by the Flames despite all the mistakes they've made in the field.
Batter 4: Scelfo looks like he had a pitch to hit, but gets under the ball slightly. The ball lands just shy of the warning track.Inning over.
Thoughts so far:
Both pitchers look great so far. The difference has been Illinois-Chicago's poor defense.
Fourth inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Altavilla gets a hit to lead off the inning. It's the least he could do for botching at least three plays in the field.
Batter 2: Schaefer strikes out.
Batter 3: Coddington gets caught looking to end the inning. Hunt
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Barto makes great contact, but gets under the pitch a little bit and flies out to left field.
Batter 2: Dyer with another hit, this time a solid base hit to left field.
Batter 3: henry reaches on a dying quail to right field, but Dyer, unsure of whether the ball would drop for a hit), can't advance to third. Runners on first and second.
Batter 4: Prince grounds sharply to the third baseman, who steps on the bag and the fires the ball across the infield for a double play. Dyer's inability to advane to third comes back to haunt the Green Wave. Inning over.
Third Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Ho-hum groundout by No. 8 hitter McGuiggan.
Batter 2: Pop-up by shortstop Garcia. Two easy outs for Hunt.
Batter 3: Ty Rubio finally gets Illinois-Chcago its first hit of the game. However, someone forgot to tell Rubio that the baselines are slippery, which means base runners are prone to over-sliding. Sure enough, Rubio over-slides and gets tagged out. Inning over.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: McFadden strikes out swinging on a 2-2 pitch.
Batter 2: Scelfo draws a walk.
Batter 3: Scelfo gets caught stealing on a perfect throw by Coddington. Segudin flies out to end the inning. Illinois-Chicago pitcher Grant Kohlstaedt has thrown a heck of a game, but his defense has let him down so far.
Second Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Ground out by cleanup hitter Brent Schaeffer. Close call, but it looked like Tulane got the benefit of the doubt again.
Batter 2: Hunt hits catcher Kevin Coddington. Second baserunner of the game.
Batter 3: Jason Ganek strikes out on a 2-2 pitch. Hunt is throwing high 90s right now.
Batter 4: Andy Leonard strikes out as well. It's going to be a long night for Illinois-Chicago if they continue to hit like this.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Jared Dyer crushes a fastball inside to notch the first home run in Turchin-Greer history! 4-0 Tulane
Batter 2: Seth Henry hits a sharp grounder to the shortstop Garcia, who was playing too deep to make a play. That's three infield hits for Tulane.
Batter 3: Henry steals second, then heads to third after a bad throw by the catcher. But Allain strikes out with a man on third and only one out.
Batter 4: Honeck gets robbed of an RBI on a great play by the second baseman. Inning over.
First Inning
Top Half
Batter 1: Hunt strikes out outfielder Ty Rubio on a questionable third strike to start the game. Nothing like a little home cookin' to christen Turchin-Greer.
Batter 2: Strike 'em out, throw 'em out. Hunt looks jittery, but sharp
Batter 3: Hunt walks arguably ICU's best hitter, left fielder Chris Rutta. Green Wave catcher Jared Dyer goes out to calm Hunt down.
Batter 4: Rutta gets picked off by Hunt. Why was he even thinking of stealing (four steals all last year)? Inning over.
Bottom Half
Batter 1: Texas transfer Josh Prince records the first hit in Turchin-Greer history, a weak grounder to the shortstop, who had no play.
Batter 2: Allain bounces one over the pitcher's head. The shortstop, Rafael Garcia, drew first baseman Tony Altavilla off the bag (another instance of "home cookin').
Batter 3: Honeck strikes out on an off-speed pitch, certainly not what you want with runners on first and second.ONE OUT
Batter 4: The runners execute a double stealm but McFadden walks anyway. BASES LOADED
Batter 5: Altavilla bobbles what could have been a 3-6-3 double play. Scelfo is still out, but McFadden and Allain advance while Prince scores. 1-0 Tulane
Batter 6: Another bad play by Altavilla on a grounder by Segudin scores both runners. Segudin andvances to second as the outfielder tries to throw out McFadden at the plate. 3-0 Tulane
Batter 7: Barto fouls out to, of all people, Altavilla, to end the inning. Terrible fielding by the ICU led to all three runs.
Pregame
It's opening night here at Turchin. My apologies for being late with the blog, as even the distinguished members of the media such as myself had trouble finding their seats. The game began with fireworks...literally. Tulane Athletics sponsored a surprise fireworks show over the outfield fence to begin the game.
The bad news is people are getting ticketed $75 for parking on the neutral ground on Claiborne. In addition, the scoreboard operators are having trouble tonight (can't fault them for that, although the operator keeps asking everyone in the press box: "Does anyone have a manual for this thing?").
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Tulane, Shooter Hunt, Preparing for Baseball Opener
As the Green Wave gets ready for its season opener against Illinois-Chicago, Shooter Hunt managed to answer a few questions for The Hullaballoo.
On if the team has scouted Illinois-Chicago yet..
Not so much yet, we probably won't get down to that until Wednesday or Thursday, we have a good idea though, they were in the [NCAA] Tournament last year.
On the Illinois-Chicago team this year...
They usually win their league from what I am told, so I mean it's a good squad. They are coming down from the north so it will be warm weather, I am sure they are all pumped about that. It will be a good test for us.
On starting the first game of the season in brand new Turchin Stadium...
I am sure the butterflies will be swimming around, but thats good too. As long as you channel the right energy, you feed off of that for a long time hopefully. And we all will.
On what he will do for pre-game...
Pre-game will be the same thing I always do. I try to stay as calm as I can. Which will be tougher with the hoopla going around, but I am sure it will be fine.
On the team approach to the beginning of the season...
[We are] just getting back her and trying to go all-out. We have really been concentrating on putting full effort at all times and we have got something to prove this year so it's our first chance to show everybody what we are all about.
On whether he will try to change his approach as a pitcher at all this year...
I don't think so. I still have the same approach as always, just try to go out there and try to give out team the best chance of winning. However that is going to be, is what I am going to do. Wether I am cheering on the side and somebody else has to go in of if I am going the whole way.
On team defense...
I think the defense has done great. I mean I am not jinxing them, but they played great this fall and spring so far.
On if the team has scouted Illinois-Chicago yet..
Not so much yet, we probably won't get down to that until Wednesday or Thursday, we have a good idea though, they were in the [NCAA] Tournament last year.
On the Illinois-Chicago team this year...
They usually win their league from what I am told, so I mean it's a good squad. They are coming down from the north so it will be warm weather, I am sure they are all pumped about that. It will be a good test for us.
On starting the first game of the season in brand new Turchin Stadium...
I am sure the butterflies will be swimming around, but thats good too. As long as you channel the right energy, you feed off of that for a long time hopefully. And we all will.
On what he will do for pre-game...
Pre-game will be the same thing I always do. I try to stay as calm as I can. Which will be tougher with the hoopla going around, but I am sure it will be fine.
On the team approach to the beginning of the season...
[We are] just getting back her and trying to go all-out. We have really been concentrating on putting full effort at all times and we have got something to prove this year so it's our first chance to show everybody what we are all about.
On whether he will try to change his approach as a pitcher at all this year...
I don't think so. I still have the same approach as always, just try to go out there and try to give out team the best chance of winning. However that is going to be, is what I am going to do. Wether I am cheering on the side and somebody else has to go in of if I am going the whole way.
On team defense...
I think the defense has done great. I mean I am not jinxing them, but they played great this fall and spring so far.
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