Feb. 17, 2004

Final Stats

NEW ORLEANS, La. - UNO third baseman Dana Tosoni hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth and three Privateer pitchers combined to tally 10 strikeouts as the Tulane University baseball team dropped game one of the Popeyes Cup to the cross-town foe Privateers, 4-1, Tuesday evening at Maestri Field.

Brian Bogusevic and Brandon Gomes combined for nine strikeouts, and senior catcher Brian Bormaster went 2-for-4, but it was not enough to overcome the clutch hitting and tremendous defense of the Privateers to fall to 2-1 on the year. UNO, meanwhile, improves to 3-3 in 2004.

"I don't think there's any question that (Martinez) is one of the better pitchers in the country," head coach Rick Jones said. "UNO is a much-improved club. They pitched and they got the big hit there in the eighth. They played better than us tonight, and you've got to tip your hat to them."

It was a pitchers' dual throughout the early part of the game as Bogusevic retired the first nine UNO batters he faced, and Martinez scattered two hits and one walk over the first three innings. Privateer centerfielder Joe Pietro broke up the no-hit bid with a double to lead off the fourth inning, but it looked like the Green Wave would get out of the inning unscathed when Bogusevic got Tosoni to fly out to right, Jay Yaconetti to foul out to the catcher and Mike Nuckles to hit a weak grounder to second.

Tulane freshman second baseman Philip Stringer's throw to first sailed on him, however, and Pietro was able to score all the way from second to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

The Green Wave tied the score in the top of the fourth when Bormaster singled, advanced the bases on an error and a fielder's choice, and touched the paystation following an errant pickoff throw to first by Martinez. The tie was short lived, though, as UNO came right back in the home half of the frame with a double by Kody Valverde and an RBI-single by Nate Murray to give the Privateers a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.

Tulane made some noise two innings later when Bormaster was on first and sophomore centerfielder Nathan Southard hit a deep shot to right field, but UNO's Tony Gonzales was able to make the catch on the warning track, and the Green Wave never threatened again.

The game remained a one-run affair until the bottom of the eight when Pietro hit a two-out single to chase Gomes from the game. From there, Tosoni jumped on the first offering from Tulane closer Joey Charron just over the outstretched arm of right-fielder Matt Barket for a two-run homer to account for the final score.

While the Privateer bats made the most noise, the glove of UNO third baseman Yaconetti proved to be the difference in the ballgame as the senior transfer from the University of Oklahoma robbed four would-be base hits in the UNO win.

In his first appearance of the 2004 season, Bogusevic (0-1) struck out five and walked none in 5.0 innings of work, but was nailed with the loss. Gomes had a solid performance as well with four punchouts and one walk while giving up just the Pietro single in 2.2 innings of relief.

The Green Wave returns to action on Friday, Feb. 20 when they open a three-game series against Maryland-Baltimore County at 6:30 p.m. at Turchin Stadium. For ticket information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.