A DAY ON THE WILD SIDE
3 HBP, 6 BB Help Owls to Win over Tulane

By Mark Anderson
Last night, Ryan Berry demonstrated what it is like to give up a minimum number of base runners. Apparently, the Tulane pitching staff wasn’t taking notes.

Shooter Hunt started off the game by hitting Brian Friday. As Gayhart struck out, Friday beat Ty Wallace’s throw to second for a stolen base. Henley followed with an RBI double to right center, scoring Friday. Savery followed with an RBI single to center to score Henley and make it 2-0. But the Owls couldn’t get any more across in the first as Buenger lined into a double play to end the inning.

Tulane came back in the third inning when Aja Barto took a Ryne Tacker fastball over the right centerfield fence to get the Green Wave on the scoreboard and make it a 2-1 game.

Shooter Hunt faced Brian Friday in the bottom of the third, and hit him a second time. Hunt tried to pick Friday off, but threw past Tulane first baseman Guidry to send him to second. But he would be stranded there as the Owls couldn’t muster any offense and the score was even at 2-2.

Cal Everett led off the top of the fourth, and Ryne Tacker began losing his usual pinpoint control as he hit Everett with the first pitch. Emaus then walked, putting two runners on and bringing up Guidry. Guidry laid down a bunt but Savery threw out the lead runner. McFadden then grounded into a slick double play from Savery to third baseman Seastrunk, then back across the diamond to Jess Buenger to end the threat.

In the bottom of the fifth, however, the long layoff—and a graduation ceremony in the morning-- caught up to Tacker. With two outs, Henry singled to center, and Wallace followed with a single to right that Gayhart couldn’t play cleanly. His error left runners on second and third, but not for long, as Tacker uncorked a wild pitch to bring home Henry. Wayne Graham decided at that point he had seen enough, and brought in Bobby Bramhall. Bramhall was then called for a balk, which moved Wallace to third. Simon singled, and for the first time in quite a while, the Owls trailed by a score of 3-2.

Shooter Hunt’s walk on the wild side continued in the bottom of the fifth as he hit Travis Reagan with a pitch with one out. Friday laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved pitch runner Derrick Myers to second, but Gayhart struck out again and the Owls still trailed, 3-2.

The bottom of the sixth, however, is when the momentum changed for the Owls. Tyler Henley took a first pitch fastball and drilled it to rightfield for his fourth home run. Savery followed with a single and stole second. Buenger walked and went to second, and Savery to third, on Luna’s sacrifice bunt. Seastrunk grounded out to second, but Savery scored to give the Owls the lead. Buenger scored on a wild pitch from Hunt to make the score 5-3.

Bramhall, meanwhile, continued to close the door on the Green Wave. It wasn’t till Guidry singled and McFadden reached on a Brian Friday error in the eighth that the Green Wave showed any signs of life. But Coach Graham brought in Cole St. Clair, who slammed the door shut, locked it, and threw away the key on his only pitch in the eighth. Seth Henry singled off St. Clair with one out, but decided too late not to challenge for second base. His retreat wasn’t fast enough, and he was a dead duck going back to first. Of course, that baserunnung blunder was followed by a Ty Wallace single. But Simon struck out to end the game and put the Owls in the win column.

Joe Savery takes the hill for the Owls tomorrow in search of a sweep of Tulane. Game time is at noon.