Box Score

NEW ORLEANS, Louis. -- The USD baseball team (7-3) won at Tulane 11-4 Thursday evening in the first game of their four game series with the Green Wave. The game was tied 2-2 entering the seventh inning, but the Toreros combined to score nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings to put the game out of reach. USD has now won six of their past seven games.

The Toreros grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a Roman Garcia sacrifice fly to center to bring home Jay Schuyler, who led off the inning with a single.

The Green Wave took the lead in the bottom of the third, scoring on a RBI groundout and a Jarrett DeHart double to the gap.

The Toreros trailed 2-1 until the top of the sixth inning when they tied the game on a Schuyler RBI double. Schuyler finished the game 3-for-4, upping his season average to .313.

Tulane mounted a threat in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with two outs, but freshman Miles Sandum struck out Paul Gozzo to preserve the 2-2 tie.

The Toreros took advantage of multiple Tulane miscues en route to five seventh innings runs, three of which came on wild pitches. Roman Garcia led off the inning with a fly ball down the right field line that was misplayed, resulting in a double. After being advanced to third on a Paul Kunst sacrifice bunt, Rich Hill rolled the dice and called for a suicide squeeze that Jeff Houghtby executed perfectly to score Garcia and give the Toreros a 3-2 lead.

Now with two outs, Colton Waltner and Hunter Mercado-Hood hit back-to-back singles and then Riley Adams walked. All three Toreros would eventually score on wild pitches from Tulane pitchers.

The Toreros would score one more in the seventh on a Kevin Collard RBI single, bringing the score to 7-2 USD. Tulane cut into USD's lead in the bottom of the seventh when Grant Brown hit a two-run double.

Tulane pitchers continued to struggle with their control in the eighth inning, beginning the inning with a hit batter and then two walks to load the bases with no outs. Hunter Mercado-Hood brought all three runners home with a double down the right field line, his fourth hit of the evening. He then scored on a passed ball, which brought the score to 11-4.

Freshmen Louis Crow and Miles Sandum each gave up two runs in 3.1 innings. Sandum (1-1) struck out six and earned his first collegiate win. Paul Richan finished the game with 2.1 scoreless innings, extending his scoreless inning streak to 10.1 to start the season.

Torero ace Nick Sprengel (3-0) will be on the mound for USD Friday for game two against Tulane. First pitch schedule for 4:30 p.m. PT.