NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane University baseball team (17-13) took down Wichita State University (19-12) in a tight 8-7 ballgame on Sunday inside Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
The freshman tandem of Bennett Lee and Chase Engelhard combined for six hits, three RBIs, and four runs scored as Tulane completed the three-game sweep to collect its sixth straight win.
“Real happy for the boys and the staff,” head coach Travis Jewett said. “Tough weekend in a lot of different ways. That’s a tough opponent in the other dugout. I thought every time the ball was put into play our guys were ready to go.”
Junior Tyler Hoffman started for the Wave and allowed two runs on three hits over 2.1 innings of work.
Senior lefty Spencer Hynes took the mound for the Shockers and allowed five runs on six hits over three and a third innings.
After Wichita State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the Green Wave answered with an RBI single from junior Frankie Niemann that scored Lee and tied the game at 1-1.
The Shockers reclaimed a 2-1 lead in the third inning before the Wave battled back and tied the game thanks to an RBI single from Lee.
Senior Donovan Benoit replaced Hoffman in the third and tossed 5.1 innings. Benoit allowed four runs, three earned, on four hits while striking out five.
Engelhard led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run to left field that gave Tulane a 3-2 lead. Then, with the bases loaded and one out, sophomore Collin Burns doubled down the left field line, scoring two and extending Tulane’s lead to 5-2.
WSU added two runs in the top of the fifth to trim the lead to 5-4.
In the bottom of the frame, Lee and Niemann set the table with back-to-back singles. Engelhard then launched an RBI double to right and redshirt freshman Simon Baumgardt grounded out to plate Niemann. Later in the inning, Tulane loaded the bases with one out, but were unable to capitalize.
In the sixth inning, Wichita State closed the gap to 7-6.
In the bottom of the seventh, freshman Walker Burchfield singled, scoring Engelhard from third.
Freshman right-hander Zach DeVito came into the game in the ninth and allowed a run to make it 8-7 before he slammed the door with the help of a huge game-ending double play turned by Engelhard and Burns.
“It’s a great feeling,” Engelhard said. “Coach told us this is a hot team, but we are too. We didn’t play last week but we did win our last three against Memphis. We are all proud of the sweep.”
UP NEXT
Tulane travels to Memphis next weekend for a four-game series.
{Press release courtesy of Tulane Athletics}