NEW ORLEANS ? The University of New Orleans baseball team got one of its best pitching efforts of the season in an 11-2 win over Tulane in the final game of the First NBC Bank Cup on Wednesday at Maestri Field.
Seven Privateer hurlers combined on a three-hitter, with reliever Matt Brown (1-2) picking up his first win of the year. The senior right-hander went two innings, gave up one hit and struck out two.
The difference was the bullpen, as the UNO relievers combined for six scoreless innings while surrendering only two hits. Tulane's bullpen combined to allow nine runs (eight earned) and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.
The Privateers (20-28) scored in each of their final four at-bats and put the game away with a six-run eighth.
“I loved our energy all game,” said Privateer head coach Tom Walter. “We put runners on base all night, and we were able to run their starter's pitch count up. The difference tonight was our pitching. When we get pitching like that, we can be tough to beat.”
Alan Harris went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, while Jay Morris and Jerad Comarda each had two hits and two RBIs.
The Privateers had six different players tally multi-hit games, and their 1-4 hitters (Tyrone Wethers, Ryan Eden, Morris and Comarda) combined for eight hits and seven runs.
UNO scored 11 unanswered runs.
Tulane struggled all the way around, as the Green Wave had more errors (four) than hits (three). Nick Boullosa went 2-for-3. Taylor Rogers (2-2) was credited with the loss.
The Green Wave did take a 2-0 lead in the third on a RBI double from Scott Powell and a Jeremy Schaffer sacrifice fly.
But the Privateers came back with two runs in the bottom of the frame on Morris' RBI single and a Nick Schwaner run-scoring double.
Freshman left fielder Rodarrick Jones gave UNO its first lead in the three-game series with a solo home run in the fifth off Rogers. The Privateers got single runs in the sixth and seventh innings before exploding with six runs in the eighth on six hits.
“Rodarrick's home run was really big for us,” Walter said. “It gave us the lead, and it's so much easier to play this game when you're ahead. Our pitchers followed that up with zeroes, and we were able to relax and play like we're capable.”
Tulane was awarded the inaugural First NBC Bank Cup after the game. The Green Wave won the first two games on April 21 and 22.
The Privateers snapped a six-game midweek losing streak.
UNO will host Arkansas-Little Rock in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series this weekend. The teams will kick off the set at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Maestri Field.
