Feb. 16, 2002

Final Stats

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Sophomore second baseman Turner Brumby went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and junior left-hander Nick Bourgeois threw eight strong innings, to lead the Tulane baseball team past Villanova, 9-2, Saturday afternoon at Turchin Stadium.

Bourgeois (1-0) struck out eight and only gave up a pair of hits while holding the Wildcats scoreless through seven innings. With the win, Tulane improves to 3-2 on the season while Villanova falls to 0-2. The two teams will close out the weekend series on Sunday with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.

"I thought Nick got better as the game went on," head coach Rick Jones said. "The only question with him is his command. His stuff is plenty good enough. Today, after a while, his command got better, and we played well defensively."

While Bourgeois was shutting down opponents from the hill, the Green Wave defense was getting it done behind him as Tulane did not commit an error for the second consecutive game. The Tulane offense, meanwhile, continued its tear with eight hits, including three for extra bases.

Joining Brumby in the hit parade were sophomore designated hitter Scott Madden, who went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a pair of RBI, and sophomore catcher Brian Bormaster, who went 2-for-4 with three runs scored.

For the second consecutive game, Tulane got things going early as Jon Kaplan and James Jurries walked, and sophomore first baseman Michael Aubrey and Madden tallied an RBI to plate the pair on a sacrifice fly and a single, respectively.

With a 2-0 lead in the fourth, junior centerfielder Jon Kaplan padded the Green Wave advantage with a sacrifice fly to center to plate Bormaster, but Tulane would blow the game open one inning later. Aubrey and Brumby each hit doubles as part of a four-hit fifth, and Tulane was able to capitalized on a Wildcat error en route to three runs to give the Green Wave a commanding 6-0 lead.

Villanova would not back down, though, and plated a pair of runs in the eighth. Bourgeois, who walked five on the afternoon, gave up a pair of bases on balls in the frame, and pinch hitter Dustin Downs made him pay with a two RBI single to center to put the Wildcats on the board.

The Green Wave would get the runs back in the home half of the inning as junior left fielder Aaron Feldman belted an RBI triple to plate Aubrey from third, and Madden hit a groundout RBI one batter later to close out the scoring.

Villanova starter Thomas Kandybowicz got the loss, giving up five earned runs on five hits while striking out one and walking four in 4.1 innings of action. The Green Wave bats were able to make the Wildcat bullpen pay as well, tallying six hits and four runs on Villanova relievers.

After the series finale on Sunday, Tulane travels to Thibodaux, La., on Tuesday, Feb. 19, where the Green Wave will take on the Colonels of Nicholls State.