NEW ORLEANS — The Tulane University baseball team (13-7) took down Villanova University (3-13) by a score of 12-2 on Saturday afternoon inside Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
Six Tulane hitters had multi-hit games and Dylan Carmouche silenced the Wildcats’ bats in the Green Wave’s third straight win.
“I told the kids I don’t care how it looks we just have to get on the right end of it,” head coach Travis Jewett said. “They’re doing a good job. Our spirit and belief in ourselves are important and in a short 56-game schedule you can’t muddle around. The kids have done a great job responding.”
Seth Beckstead, Chase Engelhard, and Ethan Groff all had two doubles. Groff also scored four runs in the decisive victory, putting him in the top five in the nation in runs scored.
“It’s really fun to be locked in and get on base for the team,” Groff said. “We have so many good hitters behind me, so I feel like I am going to score every time I get on. If we handle our business and control the things we can control, we feel like we can beat anybody.”
Carmouche, a sophomore left-hander, got the nod for the Green Wave and pitched 6.2 innings of two-run baseball. Carmouche recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts.
“I felt good today,” Carmouche said. “I just had to dial in and stay comfortable out there.”
Graduate student Tyler Arella started for Villanova and allowed six earned runs over 3.1 innings of work.
The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Wave immediately responded in the bottom of the frame. Ethan Groff took a leadoff walk and Bennett Lee singled to right to put runners on first and second with no outs. Luis Aviles then hit a ball off Arella that ended up being an infield single, scoring Groff. Seth Beckstead then dropped a bloop-double on the line in shallow right field that scored Aviles and gave the Wave a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Groff came to the plate with one out and Jared Hart at third. Groff lined a double down the right field line, giving Tulane a 3-1 lead. The Wave extended its lead to 5-1 thanks to a sacrifice fly from Luis Aviles and an RBI single from Jackson Linn.
Villanova closed the gap to 5-2 thanks to a solo shot by Chris Rotondo. In the bottom of the frame, Seth Beckstead hit a ball off the wall in left for his second double of the game.
Groff led off in the bottom of the fourth and smacked a double down the line in left. The double was Groff’s 11thon the season, good enough for second in all of NCAA D1 baseball. The Green Wave then loaded the bases before Beckstead walked, scoring Groff. Engelhard then came up with two outs and the bases still juiced. The second baseman proceeded to it a laser off the top of the wall in left field that was a few feet from being a grand slam. Two runners scored on the double. Hart followed Engelhard with two-RBI single, blowing the game open to 10-2. Hart scored later in the inning on a wild pitch.
The Wave scored all six of their runs in the fourth with two outs.
Tulane added on in the top of the seventh with one more run when veteran Frankie Niemann singled to center with Groff on second, his first hit of the year. The ball was misplayed by the center fielder, allowing Groff to come home.
Kyle Beaty came in for Carmouche and pitched the final 2.1 innings, striking out three and allowing just two base runners.
UP NEXT: First pitch of the finale is at 1:00 p.m. inside GFATS.
*Courtesy of Tulane Green Wave sports information
