Baseball falls to Tulane in New Orleans

Game 1

Jeremy Schaffer's two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh lifted Tulane to a 7-4 come-from-behind win over No. 17 ECU Friday night in the Conference USA series opener at Greer Field inside Turchin Stadium.

With the game knotted at four in the bottom half of the seventh, ECU got two quick outs; Josh Prince and Scott Powell both flew out. Sam Honeck followed with a two-out walk before Schaffer cranked his seventh home run of the season to left-center, taking a 6-4 lead. The Wave would tack on another run when Seth Henry tripled to left scoring Drew Allain, who reached on an infield single.

Bailey Daniels suffered the loss, falling to 1-1 on the season. The senior right-hander was tagged for three runs (all earned) on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Chris Heston, who made his ninth start of the season, also lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs (all earned) on five hits with three punch outs and two walks before passing the ball to Patrick Somers in the fifth. Somers worked one inning of relief, allowing a run.

The Pirates struck early when Ryan Wood smacked his fifth home run of the season on the second pitch of the game to left-center for a 1-0 lead.

Kyle Roller pushed the Pirates lead to three, 3-0, in the third thanks to his 10th home run of the year. Wood drew the first of three free passes when he led off with a walk shortly before scoring on Roller's 33rd career homer.

Early in the fourth inning, Tulane seemed to get on the board, but Trent Whitehead made a sensational catch, robbing Schaffer of a home run when he climbed the 9-foot wall in left-center.

Brandon Henderson extended ECU's lead to 4-0 in the fifth on an RBI single to left that scored Wood from second. Wood drew another free pass then took second on a passed ball before touching home.

The Wave finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, cutting ECU's lead to 4-3. Andrew Rodgers drew an opening frame walk then moved over to third on Jamie Bruno's single through the right side. Matt Ryan followed with an RBI single that scored Rodgers and advanced Bruno to second. Powell drove in the second run with a single up the middle plating Bruno and pushing Ryan to third. Tulane's final run came on a sac fly to center by Honeck, scoring Ryan and closing the frame at 4-3.

In the sixth inning, Bruno tied the game at four on his base knock just out of the reach of a diving Drew Schieber at third scoring Allain, who walked to start the frame, then landed on third after consecutive groundouts.

Game 2

No. 17 ECU used a pair of three-run home runs from Devin Harris and Ryan Wood to swing past Tulane 12-5 in game two of a three-game C-USA series Saturday afternoon at Greer Field inside Turchin Stadium.

Seth Maness (5-0) picked up his fifth win of the season going 5 2/3 innings where he allowed five runs (all earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts. The Pinehurst native scattered just two hits over five innings before being saddled with five runs on five hits in the sixth. Sophomore Seth Simmons, who recorded his sixth save of the season, entered the game in the sixth with two outs and forced Matt Ryan into a fielder's choice to end the inning. Simmons would go on to allow just two hits in 3 2/3 innings with a pair of punch outs.

Devin Harris capped a four-run inning with his 10th home run of the season, a three-run shot to left-center in the first inning. Wood drew his fourth walk of the series with one out then took second when Brandon Henderson was plunked by a breaking ball. Kyle Roller followed with a RBI single to left that scored Wood from second. Harris cleared the bases on a 2-2 offering that went to left-center, putting ECU up 4-0.

Dustin Harrington hit a shot off the scoreboard in left-center, putting the Pirates up 5-0 in the second inning. For Harrington, it was his seventh homer of the season and third of the week (two versus Campbell).

The Pirates upped their lead to six, 6-0, in the third when Harrington grounded into a bases-loaded double-play that scored Stephen Batts from third.

Batts continued the Pirate offensive assault driving in Henderson from second on a RBI single to right-center putting ECU up 7-0 in the fourth. With two down, Henderson singled to left then promptly stole second just before Roller drew a walk, putting runners on first and second for Batts' at-bat.

ECU pushed its lead to eight, 8-0, in the sixth on Harris' sac fly to left that plated Henderson.

Tulane finally got the sticks going in the bottom half the sixth, scoring five runs on five hits, cutting the lead to three, 8-5. Ryan led off with a single up the middle, which was followed by another single from Josh Prince, putting runners at second and third, when Prince moved to second on a fielding error by Batts. After Maness fanned Scott Powell, Sam Honeck doubled down the right field line, scoring both Ryan and Prince. Jeremy Schaffer flied out to left, moving Honeck over to third. Drew Allain put runners on the corners when he was plunked by a Maness fastball. Seth Henry followed with a double down the left field line scoring Honeck before Evan Mistich roped a two-RBI single to left to cap the scoring at five.

ECU responded to the Wave's five runs with four of their own, thanks to a towering three-run shot by Wood that hit off the top of the scoreboard and a Harris RBI single to right pushing the lead to 12-5.

Game 3

Conrad Flynn struck out a career-high eight batters and Jeremy Schaffer blasted a three-run home run as Tulane (22-17, 5-7) took game three of the Conference USA series 4-3 against No. 17 ECU (28-12, 10-5) at Greer Field inside Turchin Stadium.

Brad Mincey lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (all earned) on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Kevin Brandt, who entered the game in the fifth with runners on first and second and one out, got Schaffer to pop up to second after Josh Prince was caught stealing at third to get out of the jam. Brandt went three innings, scattering two hits with two walks and a strikeout. Seth Simmons closed out the Pirates' pitching, working two-thirds of an inning with a strikeout.

Brandon Henderson put the Pirates up 1-0 in the first when he took a 1-2 offering from Flynn to right field for his sixth home run of the season and 27th of his career.

Tulane took a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning thanks to a three-run home run by Jeremy Schaffer to right field. Scott Powell singled to left field on the first pitch of the frame then took third on Sam Honeck's double down the right field line. After Schaffer hit his eighth home run of the season, Tulane scored another run when Evan Mistich doubled to right field, scoring Seth Henry from first base.

Dustin Harrington smacked his eighth home run of the season and second of the weekend with a solo shot to right-center, pulling the Pirates within two, 4-2, in the seventh.

Henderson hit his second home run of the game, a solo shot to right, cutting the Wave's lead to one, 4-3 in the eighth.