Tulane eliminates ECU

Published in Sports on May 28, 2006 2:18 AM

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ECU Sports Information

HOUSTON, Texas -- Warren McFadden's one-out single in the top of the 10th inning scored Matt Riser with the game-winning run as Tulane posted a 2-1 victory over East Carolina and eliminated the Pirates from the 2006 Conference USA Baseball Championships at Reckling Park Friday afternoon.

McFadden, who was hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts prior to the game-winner, delivered a bouncing single up the middle that barely eluded newly-inserted second baseman Drew Schieber to score Riser from second base for the eventual win. Riser, who started the top of the 10th with a single against ECU reliever T.J. Hose, moved to second on Cat Everett's sacrifice bunt. After intentionally walking Mark Hamilton, Hose quickly restored order by getting Nathan Southard to tap into a double play.

The Pirates (33-26) got a two-out single from Jake Smith in the bottom half of the 10th but Adam Witter grounded out to second base to end the contest.

The loss spoiled a stellar performance by ECU starter Shane Matthews, who scattered eight hits and allowed one run in a career-high eight and one-third innings of work - topping his previous personal-best of eight innings against Stony Brook back on June 5, 2004 during the NCAA Kinston Regional. In addition, he struck out seven and walked just three during his 124-pitch outing.

The Pirates jumped out to a 1-0 lead against Tulane starter Billy Mohl in the bottom of the second inning when Ryan Tousley and Stephen Batts opened the frame with consecutive singles into leftfield. Batts moved to second on Jake Dean's fielder's choice before scoring on Jay Mattox' sharp grounder through the left side of the infield.

The Green Wave (41-18) used a two-out rally in the top of the fourth to even the contest as four consecutive hitters reached base against Mathews. Hamilton singled and Southard walked before Brad Emaus extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a run-producing double to the leftfield corner. After the Pirates elected to intentionally walk Tim Guidry to load the bases, Mathews escaped further damage by retiring Seth Henry on a ground out.

Tulane mounted a threat in its half of the ninth when Emaus stroked a one-out double down the rightfield line before Mathews issued an intentional walk to Guidry. Hose was summoned out of the bullpen for his fourth relief appearance of the season and snuffed out the rally by getting Henry to flyout to center and pinch hitter Nate Simon to ground out to first baseman Stephen Batts.

Hose (3-4) suffered the loss after surrendering a run on a pair of hits in an inning and two-thirds of work.

Mohl worked the first six innings for the Green Wave, giving up just one run on seven hits while walking three and fanning four. Daniel Latham (5-3) picked up the win for Tulane after turning in an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief after following a similar effort from Trey Martin, who didn't allow a run in two-plus innings.

The Pirates will now await word on their bid for an eighth-straight NCAA Regional appearance when the 64-team bracket for the 2006 Division I Baseball Championship is announced by ESPN on Monday at 12:30 p.m.

ACC Tournament

Florida State 7, N.C. State 3

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Travis Anderson and Buster Posey each had three hits, and reliever Brent Marsh threw 5 2-3 scoreless innings to help Florida State beat North Carolina State 7-3 Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament.

Florida State's win forced a second game later Saturday between the clubs, won by N.C. State, 8-7. The Wolfpack will face either Clemson or Georgia Tech in today's title game.

The Seminoles (42-18) took the lead for good in the fourth inning with a pair of runs. Anderson scored the eventual gamewinner on Tony Thomas's single, and -- after a throwing error -- Thomas came all the way around to score on the same play for a 5-3 lead.

Anderson doubled and scored in the second, then hit a solo homer in the sixth. He hit .245 in 30 games before the ACC tournament, but was 7-for-9 in the conference playoff after Saturday's game.

N.C. State starter Ryan Pond (2-1) allowed seven earned runs and 10 hits in 5 1-3 innings.

Ramon Corona had a two-run homer for N.C. State (37-20), which scored three times in the first three innings, then was silenced by Marsh -- who yielded only four hits.

Georgia Tech 8, Clemson 7

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.(AP)- Wally Crancer bounced a single over the third base bag in the bottom of the tenth inning enabling Michael Fisher to score the winning run Saturday and lift Georgia Tech to an 8-7 win over previously unbeaten Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

The win by Tech snapped Clemson's 17-game winning streak and forced a second meeting between the two teams late on Saturday. The winner will face N.C. State in today's ACC championship game.

The Clemson-Tech game featured 29 hits, 13 walks, five tied scores and five lead changes before Crancer ended the 3-hour-44 minute contest with his hit. Two nights earlier, Clemson used a ninth inning single by Ben Hall to record a 3-2 walk-off win over Tech.

Neither team held more than a two run lead in the game. Tech was up 5-3 after five innings but Clemson put together a three-run eighth inning to grab the lead at 6-5. Brad Chalk's bases-loaded walk brought in the first run and Stan Widmann singled home two more runs.

Clemson (45-14) added another run in the top of the ninth on Tyler Colvin's run-producing single to take a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

But Georgia Tech (45-15) stormed back with Jeff Kindal and Whit Robbins opening the inning with a single and double respectively. Luke Murton's single up the middle scored Kindal and Robbins came home with the tying run when Ryan Tinkoff grounded into a double play.