Junior pitcher Patrick Duester allowed five hits and six unearned runs in two and two-thirds innings en route to Tulane’s (12-5) 8-4 loss against Southern Mississippi Wednesday night in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The Wave committed three errors in the loss. 

“We have to do a better job with the bats when we have a runner on third base and less than two outs,” Tulane baseball head coach David Pierce said. “We are working on that. It is something we will get better in.”

Duester struggled with his control, as he hit two and walked one of the 15 batters he faced. Southern Miss scored 6 runs off Duester and redshirt junior Alex Massey in the bottom of the third inning. Duester entered the ballgame 2-0 and with an ERA of 0.00 in 17 innings pitched. 

Sophomore Dan Rankin, junior Jordan Gross and sophomore Eric Steel each pitched following Duester’s short outing. Massey struck out one batter in two and one-thirds innings, and Rankin struck out three batters in two innings. Gross struck out two of the three batters he faced.  

“We’ve been trying to get Rankin in a game, and we just haven’t had any opportunities,” Pierce said. “We found an opportunity tonight, and I thought he was good. I thought [Gross] was really good and Steel came in and did his job. Those are good signs because those are guys that we will need to pitch for us.”

Tulane got on the board in the top of the fifth inning after junior outfielder Richard Carthon scored on senior infielder Garrett Deschamp’s single to left field. Sophomore infielder Huner Hope cut the score to 7-2 in the same inning with a sacrifice fly to left field to score sophomore infielder Stephen Alemais. 

Alemais hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to left field to cut the score to 8-4.

Deschamp had three hits, while Alemais and sophomore infielder Hunter Williams each had two hits. Alemais and Cathon each scored twice.  

Tulane will begin a three-game weekend series against Xavier 6:30 p.m. Friday at Turchin Stadium.