Tulane University’s Green Wave baseball team opened the season with three strong wins, a close loss to Loyola Marymount University, and an acceptable loss to No. 2-ranked University of California, Los Angeles. The Green Wave also beat Harvard University in a three-game streak this weekend.
The first game of the season against LMU was successful for Tulane, scoring seven runs in the first two innings and allowing only three. After six innings of no scoring, the Green Wave abruptly scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning. Green Wave shortstop Kaikea Harrison made the most of his six at-bats, getting three hits, driving one run in and scoring twice. J.D. Rodriguez excelled on the mound, throwing nine strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched.
The element of luck in baseball hurt Tulane in the second game of the series. Tulane got 13 hits, while LMU only got five. Moreover, Tulane made one error, and LMU made three errors. Despite leading until the eighth inning and significantly outperforming their opponent, the Green Wave ended up losing 4-6 as a result of a late comeback.
Despite the loss, the remarkable ability to strike out batters was evident: Beau Sampson struck out nine in 4.1 innings pitched.
Tulane won the third and final game of the series 6-2. After allowing LMU to score the first run, Tulane bounced back, scoring six unanswered runs, featuring three home runs from Hugh Pinkney, Jason Wachs and Tye Wood.
The West Coast road trip concluded with a game against UCLA, a team that could win the College World Series. Tulane put up a respectable effort against a feared opponent, scoring five runs, featuring a home run hit by Johnny Elliot.
Ultimately, the opposing offense proved to be overwhelming, scoring 13 runs and nullifying the Green Wave pitching staff’s incredible ability to strike out batters. The UCLA offense only struck out three times, putting heavy pressure on the fielders.
With two wins and two losses, the Green Wave had its first game at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium on Friday night. Tulane defeated the Harvard Crimson 7-3. Jason Wachs and Matthias Haas led the offense, both getting multiple hits. Tanner Chun also stole a base for the second time this season.
The Green Wave finished its weekend series against Harvard strongly with a sweep, winning the next two games 11-9 and 11-1, giving them a 5-2 record on the year. They will play the University of New Orleans Privateers and the University of South Alabama Jaguars later this week.