Box Score
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The New Orleans Privateers baseball team (5-12, 0-3 Southland) took care of a big early advantage in a 7-3 victory over the Tulane Green Wave (10-10, 3-3 C-USA) on Wednesday night at Maestri Field at First NBC Ballpark.
The Privateers jumped to a 4-0 lead against Tulane starter Brady Wilson in the first inning. After
Trevor McCarthy was hit by a pitch, and moved to third on a well-executed hit and run from
Hezekiah Randolph, the Privateers scored the first run on a
Reese Kanter RBI single. After another run scored on an error,
Brian Dixon roped a two-run double to left.
Freshman
Hunter Medine got the start, and was impressive on the mound. Medine pitched five innings, and quieted the Tulane lineup while giving up no hits. "He had it going early. We told him you have to act like a freshman in college and he certainly has. He throws strikes and he's got a nice little breaking ball," said Privateers Head Coach
Ron Maestri.
New Orleans added another run in the fifth partly on the benefit of miscues in the field by the Green Wave. Randolph reached on a dropped pop up from third baseman Hunter Hope. An infield single by Kanter put two runners on, and Randolph scored on another error by Hope to push the Privateers advantage to 5-0. "I told them again, we jumped out ahead and we were aggressive. We can't just sit there, but I'm proud of the kids. They played well," said Maestri.
Weekend starters
Alex Smith and
Darron McKigney pitched the sixth and seventh respectively, and kept the no-hitter intact. New Orleans capped off the scoring in the seventh. After
Nick Morgan and
Jonathan Coco drew back-to-back two-out walks to load the bases, Dixon singled in two runs to extend the Privateers lead to 7-0.
The no-hitter was broken up in controversial fashion with two outs in the eighth. Stephen Alemais laid down a bunt and reached on a single against
Raymond Winter. The next batter was hit by Winter who was ejected. Tulane scored their runs on a three-run triple by Andrew Garner off of
Seth Laigast.
"I understood why they had to give him a warning, but why would you hit someone when you're up 7-0? We stir them up by hitting a batter. There's nothing wrong with that. And the kid up there if he feels he has a better chance to bunt, so be it," said Maestri about the sequence that wound up with just words exchanged.
Dixon led a solid effort from the bottom half of the Privateers' order with four RBI on a 2-for-4 night. McCarthy and Randolph each scored two runs, and New Orleans' 5-through-9 hitters drew four walks on the contest.
The Privateers will head to Houston Baptist for their first road conference series, which starts on Friday with a first pitch slated for 2 p.m.
