Tulane defeats Southeastern 7-3

One inning is all it took for the Green Wave tonight, and it wasn’t the eighth. On a beautiful, windless night at Turchin, the Greenies took the field against Southeastern, a team that obliterated them thirteen to one earlier in the year. Although Coach Jones dismissed the idea of this being a revenge game when he said “you play so many games, it’s not like that at all,” Tulane played like they were trying to prove something, defeating Southeastern seven to three. This came as a result of a seven run first inning bonanza that gave the Greenies all they would need for the rest of the game.

This offensive performance was mirrored by another gritty pitching performance by the Green Wave staff. This time it came from Sophomore David Napoli, plucked from middle relief to start tonight. He worked out of a couple of jams on the evening, snagging double plays and strikeouts when he needed them most. “It was exciting to get the win but I don’t think I pitched as well as I could have pitched, command wise but it’s nice to get out there and get the win,” Napoli said. His control was the only issue in his five innings, as the only run he allowed was walked in. Nonetheless, Napoli came away with the win.

Napoli wasn’t the only player making the most of his start. Sophomore Bowen Woodsen, an infrequent starter, displayed all he had to offer at the plate and in the field tonight. The first inning was his inning. He smacked a three run homerun, the first of his career, off of Southeastern starter Sophomore Jordan Hymel. He ended up with two hits on the night. He made his mark in the field too, making a leaping catch in the first, which stopped the Southeastern bats after Napoli allowed a single to center.

Woodsen was a big piece of the biggest inning of the season for Tulane. The Green Wave batted around for the first time all year, and consequently scored the most runs in an inning. Redshirt Junior Matt Ryan got in on the act as well, driving in two, while both Freshman Briggs Barrios and Junior Jeremy Schaffer drove in one.

While it was a different cast of characters for Tulane, it was another win, bringing them to twelve and four on the season, and cementing their spot in the top-25. To describe it, Coach Jones said: “You win differently every day, and every game isn’t going to be the same and you can’t continue to think, ‘oh we’re not going to score’.” The Greenies showed that mentality tonight.

Photo Credit: Parker Waters