By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
Hugh Pinkney, Jason Wachs and Kaikea Harrison crushed home runs, and the Tulane Green Wave rallied from a two-run, middle-innings deficit to beat the UTSA Roadrunners 12-7 Sunday afternoon in a weekend series finale at New Orleans.
After opening the series with 7-3 and 8-2 losses at Turchin Stadium, the Green Wave pounded seven extra-base hits on the afternoon to avert a three-game series sweep by the Roadrunners.
With the outcome, defending champion UTSA yielded sole possession of the lead in the American Conference and settled into a tie for first place with East Carolina and UAB with nine league games to play.
With a noon start in New Orleans, Tulane hit UTSA pitcher Kendall Dove hard and erupted for five runs to claim a 5-0, first-inning lead.
The Roadrunners, still hoping for their first series sweep in conference this season, scored once in the second inning and six times in the top of the fifth for a 7-5 edge.
UTSA’s rally was fueled by six hits and was highlighted when Lane Haworth stole home.
Tulane wasn’t ready to cash it in, though, as Wachs responded with a two-run homer in the bottom half to tie. In the sixth, Harrison smacked a two-run homer for a 9-7 Green Wave lead.
Wachs led off the seventh with a double to ignite another rally. Tulane scored three runs in a three-run uprising aided by a throwing error, two walks and a hit by pitch.
Records
UTSA 29-14, 12-6
Tulane 22-23, 8-10
Coming up
UIW at UTSA, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Wichita State at UTSA, Friday through Sunday
Notable
UTSA’s pitching was spotty, at best.
Kendall Dove started and gave up five runs, four of them earned, in two thirds of an inning.
Freshman righthander Jake Qualia pitched well in relief of Dove, throwing scoreless and hitless baseball for three and a third.
Another freshman, lefty Christopher Gutierrez, wasn’t as fortunate. Coming on for Qualia to open the fifth, he was charged with five runs in two and a third to take the loss.
UTSA relief ace Sam Simmons also struggled. In two thirds of an inning, he yielded two runs – one of them earned – while walking two and giving up a hit.
With Tulane leading by five runs, freshman Ryan Self pitched a scoreless eighth.