Trailing 6-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Marshall University baseball team scored four times to storm back and defeat the Tulane Green Wave 7-6 in the second game of a doubleheader at Appalachian Power Park on Friday afternoon. Marshall dropped game one by a 5-4 score.
Marshall (19-28, 6-14 C-USA) is scheduled to play the series finale with Tulane (29-21, 9-11 C-USA) on Sunday at 10 a.m. Due to inclement weather projected for the Charleston area, both teams will take Saturday off.
Game 1: Tulane 5, Marshall 4
Down 4-3, the Green Wave scored twice in the top of the eighth to squeeze out a 5-4 victory in game one of a doubleheader with the Thundering Herd.
The one-run lead was short lived as Garrett Cannizaro roped a RBI triple to left-center before coming home on a safety squeeze to retake the lead.
Herd starter Aaron Blair fired the first 5.2 innings on the bump, scattering three runs on seven hits while fanning three in the no decision.
Game 2: Marshall 7, Tulane 6
Tulane brought the infield with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of ninth with cleanup hitter R.Stafford at the dish. The junior produced a game-winning base hit by smoking a one-hopper that bounded over the shortstop Cannizaro’s head into the outfield to bring home Isaac Ballou with the fourth and game-winning run of the inning to capture the back end of the twinbill.
The game looked grim for the Herd trailing by three, but saw a glimmer of hope when James Lavinskas started the last of the ninth by being plunked from an Andrew Garner offering. He was immediately lifted for Pepitone (3-1), who had earned the save in game one. MU loaded the bases as G.Stafford drew a walk and Victor Ramos put down a bunt single to third.
Ramos finished the second game 3-for-4 with two runs scored, Socorro knocked in three runs and R.Stafford ripped two hit in five at bats. Both G.Stafford and Ballou crossed home twice in the victory.
Mike Mason produced a gutsy performance for the Herd, firing the first seven innings giving up four runs (all in the fifth inning) on six hits (five coming in the fifth). The southpaw walked four and struck out six as he did not figure in the decision.