CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Tulane University baseball team dropped a hard-fought 13-12 decision to the University of Cincinnati Saturday afternoon at the UC Baseball Stadium to conclude the regular season.
Tulane nearly completed one of the most improbable comebacks in program history, as it scored six runs on four hits in the top half of the ninth.
Down to its final out of the game, Tulane appeared to be all but finished, as it trailed 13-7, but the Green Wave had other ideas.
Trevor Minder and Collin Burns posted back-to-back two-out walks which loaded the bases for freshman Jacob LaPrairie, who drilled a double to right centerfield, which brought everyone home to make the score 13-10.
Fellow freshman Chase Engelhard came up next and drilled his team-leading eighth home run of the year over the left field wall to cut the Cincinnati lead to 13-12. Engelhard’s home run forced the Bearcats to make their second pitching change of the inning, as reliever Evan Kemp came into the game.
Tulane was unable to even the score as junior Luis Aviles came up next and struck out looking to end the game.
With the loss, Tulane dropped to 28-22 on the year and 17-10 in American Athletic Conference action. The Green Wave’s loss to Cincinnati marked the first time this season Tulane has dropped four straight games.
Despite the loss, Tulane collected 10-or-more hits for the 24th time this year, as it finished with 15 hits.
Engelhard led the way offensively for the Green Wave, as he went 5-of-6 at the plate, scored a pair of runs and drove in a team-best four RBI. LaPrairie also had a strong afternoon, as he finished with three hits, drove in three runs and scored twice.
Redshirt sophomore Tyler Hoffman got the start for Tulane. The Green Wave right-hander worked 4.1 innings and struck out four. Hoffman allowed five runs, but one only was earned. He also walked four batters and allowed six hits, as he dropped to 4-2 on the year.
Tulane fell behind early, as Cincinnati scored a run in the first and three in third to take a 4-0 lead. The Green Wave cut the Bearcats’ lead in half in the fifth frame, as they scored a pair of runs in the fifth thanks to a two-out RBI single to centerfield by Engelhard.
Cincinnati responded in the bottom half of the fifth inning with a run of its own to make the count 5-3. Tulane came right back in the top of the sixth with a pair of runs to make the score 5-4. The Bearcats once again responded, as they plated six runs on six hits to open up a commanding 11-4 lead.
Tulane came right back in the top half of the seventh, as it scored a pair runs thanks to a RBI single by Aviles to trim Cincinnati’s lead to 11-6. The Green Wave then loaded the bases with no outs later in the frame, but were unable to further cut into Cincinnati’s lead.
The Bearcats then plated one run in the seventh and one in the eighth to open up a seven-run lead which Tulane was not able to overcome.
UP NEXT
Tulane opens tournament play in the American Athletic Conference Championship on Tuesday and will faceoff against Houston in Clearwater, Florida. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. (CT) inside BayCare Ballpark. Click here for information on the AAC Championship. The game will be aired live on ESPN+ and can be heard on the radio by tuning into WRBH 88.3 FM.
{Press release courtesy of Tulane Athleics}
