March 3, 2002

Final Stats

NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University baseball team committed a season-high five errors that led to six unearned runs as the Green Wave dropped a 10-4 decision to UCLA in the rubber match of a three-game series Sunday afternoon at Turchin Stadium.

While the game-time temperature dipped into the 30s with a 17 mile-per-hour wind blowing in from the north made things uncomfortable for the participants and spectators, the Green Wave offense was even colder as Tulane tallied a season-low five hits in the loss to drop to 8-5 on the year. UCLA, meanwhile, heads back to California with a 2-1 series win and a 10-10 overall record.

UCLA right fielder Ben Francisco went 4-for-5 with two RBI, three runs scored and three stolen bases to lead the Bruins, who pounded out 12 hits and six steals in the win. Pitcher Casey Janssen got things done both on the mound and at the plate as he improved to 3-0 on the year with a four-hit, two-earned run performance in six strong innings of work while going 3-for-5 at the plate with a pair of RBI.

The Bruins got things going early as Matt Thayer and Francisco had singles, Casey Grzecka doubled to score Thayer, and Jansen plated Francisco with an RBI single. Tulane starter Ray Liotta would settle down to get out of the inning with a double-play ball and retired the side in order in the second, Tulane got back into the game in the home half of the second when Brooks Shankle laced an RBI single to left that plated Aaron Feldman who opened the frame with a walk and stole second.

UCLA got a pair of runs in the third, but would break the game open in the fourth when the Bruins tallied three hits, a pair of walks and capitalized on a trio of Green Wave errors en route to five runs to take a 10-1 lead.

Tulane would chip into the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Michael Aubrey reached on an error before Feldman and Bryan Stelmack hit back-to-back singles. A sacrifice fly by Shankle plated Aubrey, Feldman scored on a wild pitch and Stelmack came around on an RBI groundout by Manzella to cut the lead to six, but that is as close as the Green Wave would get the rest of the stanza.

Reliever Kris Kline, who came on for Liotta with two out in the fourth, got Tulane out of their error-plagued frame and pitched 4.2 scoreless innings while striking out three and walking a pair before giving way to Will Walter with one out in the ninth to close things out.

The UCLA pitching, however, kept the Tulane offense at bay after the fourth as Janssen and reliever Mike Kunes gave allowed just one hit and two baserunners in the final five innings.

The Green Wave returns to action on Tuesday, March 5, when Tulane travels to Baton Rouge for a 6:30 showdown with arch-rival LSU at Alex Box Stadium. Tuesday's game against the Tigers is the first of two regular-season games Tulane will play against LSU as the Green Wave will host the squad from Baton Rouge on April 10 in the Louisiana Superdome.