The Tulane baseball team (17-7, 2-1 AAC) capped off its opening conference series with a decisive 11-5 win over Wichita State (8-15, 1-2 AAC) on Sunday at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
Michael Lombardi stole the show, delivering a standout performance both at the plate and on the mound. He went 2-for-3 with five RBIs and pitched the final 1.1 innings to earn his seventh save of the season. Connor Rasmussen and Jason Wachs each contributed two hits and two runs, while Andrew McKenna added two RBIs and a run scored. The Green Wave offense exploded for a season-high four home runs and tallied 12 hits overall.
On the mound, Carter Benbrook got the start, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing one run on four hits with a strikeout and a walk. Julius Ejike-Charles (1-0) picked up the win after a scoreless inning. Tulane used a deep bullpen, with nine different pitchers making appearances. Lombardi closed out the game, striking out two while allowing just one walk in the final innings.
Offensive Firepower Leads Tulane to Victory
Tulane struck first in the opening inning when Rasmussen doubled, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Wachs, and scored on a single by Lombardi. The Green Wave extended their lead in the second with back-to-back home runs from Gavin Schulz and Tanner Chun.
Wichita State responded with a run in the third on a Josh Livingston single, but Tulane answered with a four-run inning. Lombardi’s sacrifice fly, McKenna’s two-run double, and a sacrifice fly from Kaikea Harrison put the Green Wave up 7-1.
The Shockers chipped away, scoring on a groundout in the fourth and adding two more runs in the seventh. They pulled within three in the eighth after a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded.
However, Lombardi slammed the door in the bottom of the eighth, crushing a two-run home run—his third of the season—to extend Tulane’s lead to 10-5. James Agabedis III followed with his first home run of the year, sealing the 11-5 victory.
Tulane now hits the road for a five-game stretch, beginning with a matchup against UNO on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m.
Related topics: