Feb. 16, 2007

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METAIRIE, La. - Junior right-hander Sean Morgan posted a season-high 11 strikeouts and sophomore right fielder Warren McFadden went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI as the Tulane University baseball team defeated North Florida, 5-1, Friday night at Zephyr Field.

The Green Wave found ways to manufacture runs all night as a sacrifice fly and an RBI-single led to a two-run second, an RBI-double and a squeeze bunt plated single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, and McFadden closed out the scoring with a solo bomb in the seventh. McFadden led a 12-hit effort by the Tulane, which improve to 2-2 on the young season. UNF, meanwhile, falls to 0-5.

"We did a better job of taking advantage (of scoring opportunities), but the story of the game was Sean Morgan," Tulane head coach Rick Jones said. "When you have the type of game he had - Preston (Claiborne) pitched very well out of the bullpen and we played well defensively - that is the kind of game that allows you to play the short game and try to manufacture.

"(If) you don't get that kind of outing from Sean Morgan, then you're in a position where you can't do those things. So really, the story of the game was Sean."

Morgan (2-0), a 2006 first-team All-Conference USA honoree and a preseason all-league selection, came out throwing strikes from the start as he fanned the first three batters of the ballgame and faced just four more then the minimum in a 7.0-inning start. He allowed one run - an RBI-single off the bat of UNF second baseman Chad Knight in the fifth - on six singles while not issuing a walk.

Claiborne, a freshman right-hander from Dallas, Texas, tossed the final two frames for the Green Wave, striking out four and giving up just one single.

"I thought I commanded the strike zone early, which was key," Morgan said. "When you have a defense behind you that you know is not going to make errors and play 100 percent every time, it makes it easier to throw it over the plate. (North Florida) took good swings. I guess my ball was just moving that much today."

Tulane's offense, meanwhile, reaped the benefits of the hard work put in during its practices leading up to the ballgame as eight of the nine position player tallied at least one base hit.

After a scoreless first, sophomore catcher Jared Dyer put Tulane on the board in the second with a deep sacrifice fly to center field, which allowed senior first baseman Tim Guidry to score from third. One hitter later, sophomore third baseman Seth Henry ripped an RBI-single through the left side of the infield to give the Green Wave a 2-0 advantage.

UNF made it a one-run affair on Knight's single in the fifth, but Tulane responded in the home half of the inning as sophomore left fielder Anthony Scelfo hit a leadoff single and McFadden followed two at-bats later with an RBI-double down the left-field line to make it 3-1.

Sophomore centerfielder Aja Barto got things going for Tulane in the sixth with a leadoff walk, advanced the bases on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore designated hitter Jonny Weiss and a seeing-eye single to right off the bat of Dyer, and scored on a safety squeeze bunt by Henry to push the lead to three.

McFadden, who hit just one home run as a redshirt-freshman in 2006, closed out the scoring with his second homer of the season in the seventh - a towering shot to right that sailed well over the head of UNF reserve outfielder Preston Hale.

"Coming off of last weekend, we just wanted to get something started and I was just trying to help the team any way I can," McFadden said. "All week we were working on trying to manufacture runs any way we can. We know we're going to get our hits and we know our runs would come."

UNF designated hitter Travis Martin led a seven-hit outing by the Ospreys, going 2-for-4, but was the only player in the first base dugout to enjoy a multiple-hit day. Ospreys' starter Brad Johnson (0-2) was saddled with the loss after giving up all five runs on 11 hits and three walks while fanning five in 6.1 innings of work.

Tulane and North Florida continue the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. before closing out the weekend on Sunday with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.

Season tickets for Tulane baseball are now for sale through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office and can be picked up in person on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center, via the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com or over the phone at 504-861-WAVE. The Zephyr Field Ticket Office is located on the third-base side of stadium and will open approximately two hours before first pitch for each Tulane home game.