While the rest of Tulane was busy getting drunk for five consecutive days, the Tulane University Green Wave baseball team was enjoying the beautiful California beaches. That is, from a distance, of course, as they played a three-game series against the Pepperdine University Waves followed by a stand-alone game against the Long Beach State University Dirtbags — yes, that is actually their name.
The result was a 2-2 road trip. The first two games saw Tulane struggling to get points on the board for the first time all season, both of which being 1-2 losses.
The first game saw the bottom of Tulane’s lineup particularly struggling, with Nate Johnson, Gavin Schultz, Tanner Chun and Andrew Mckenna combining for just one hit and no runs in at least three at-bats each. One bright spot, however, was pitcher Luc Fladda, who struck out seven batters in as many innings pitched. Matthias Haas also continued his hot start to the season, having three hits and the lone RBI on Friday.
The second game told a similar story as the first, with the Green Wave unable to get anyone home despite getting on base. The third game, however, could not have been more different, with Tulane winning 7-4. Haas and Mckenna stood out in this game, with two runs, two hits and one RBI each, while Gavin Schultz contributed with three RBIs of his own.
The California trip ended with a 3-2 victory against the Dirtbags, led by Tanner Chun, Kaikea Harrison and Gavin Schultz.
Even after California, there was no time for the Green Wave to rest, as they came back to New Orleans for a home series against the North Dakota State University Bison. The Green Wave won the series 2-1, putting up at least seven runs in each of the two wins.
A 9-5 win on Tuesday against Nicholls State University puts the Green Wave at a strong 12-4 to start the season, putting them at fourth in the American conference, tied in the loss column with the University of Texas San Antonio and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Next up for Tulane is a series against Xavier University. The series will be played at home on Greer Field and begins Friday at 6:30 p.m. CST.
