Tulane Breaks Scoreless Tie in Third Inning, Tops Louisiana 7-3

Contact: Matt Hebert

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NEW ORLEANS – Tulane ended a scoreless duel between Henri Faucheux and Alex Byo with four runs in the third inning and that wound up being the difference in the contest as the Green Wave went on to claim a 7-3 victory over Louisiana Tuesday evening at Turchin Stadium.

Both Faucheux and Byo tossed scoreless frames through the first two innings and the contest got off to a quick start. The pair threw a combined 19 pitches in the opening frame.

Byo worked around a one-out walk in the second and Faucheux stranded two Green Wave runners after a two-out double by Andrew Garner and Tucker Oakley walk.

The Cajuns (21-26) were retired in order by Byo in the third inning, the first of three straight perfect innings tossed by Tulane's righty.

Back-to-back singles and a walk opened the Green Wave half of the third inning and Faucheux's stranglehold was in jeopardy. A bases loaded walk issued to Nick Schneeberger forced home the game's first run and Cord Cockrell was summoned to help Faucheux and the Cajuns escape trouble.

Cockrell would get the Cajuns out of the inning, but not before a bases-clearing double Jeremy Schaffer stretched the Tulane lead to 4-0.

The third inning outburst proved to be enough breathing room for the Green Wave (33-16). Byo carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and relievers Alex Facundus and D.J. Ponder wrapped up the two-hit performance by the pitching staff.

The loss was the third straight for Louisiana while Tulane extended its current win streak to four games.

Tuesday's game was the first of five straight road games for the Ragin' Cajuns. UL travels to Murfreesboro, Tenn., for a three-game Sun Belt series with Middle Tennessee Friday-Sunday, May 11-13 at Reese-Smith Field then plays its final road outing of the season on Tuesday, May 15 at Houston.

Faucheux was charged with the loss after being responsible for all four runs in the third inning. The freshman lefty from LaPlace, La., made his first career start.

Schaffer (three RBI) and Blake Crohan (two RBI) led the charge for the Green Wave who came away victorious for the sixth time in the last eight meetings between the two programs.

The Green Wave tacked on an unearned run in the fourth inning after Brennan Middleton singled to third base, moved up on a Tyler Girouard throwing error, advanced to third on a grounder and scored on a Brandon Boudreaux sacrifice fly.

Kendall Mayer held the Green Wave in check over the fifth and sixth inning, allowing only a bunt single and striking out four.

Two batters into the top of the seventh, Dylan Butler broke up Byo's no-hit bid when he doubled down the left field line. That advanced Jace Conrad – who led off with a walk – to third base and set the stage for a pair of Cajuns runs that trimmed the deficit to 5-2. Conrad scored on a Chase Compton sacrifice fly and Butler trotted home on a Logan Preston grounder to shortstop.

The Green Wave collected the two runs back in the bottom of the seventh when Crohan homered off of Kyle Neely.

The Cajuns manufactured the game's final tally in the eighth inning off of Facundus. Daniel Nichols led off with a single off the glove of Middleton at shortstop then moved up on a throwing error by Facundus on a failed pickoff attempt. Nichols would advance to third on a Bowman fielder's choice grounder and scored on a Frederick grounder to third base.

BASES NOTED: Tuesday's meeting was supposed to be the completion of a home-and-home with the Green Wave, but weather washed out the meeting that was scheduled for M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field on Tuesday, March 20…It was the sixth consecutive meeting between the two programs in New Orleans (last game at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field came on March 26, 2003)…The Ragin' Cajuns are now 6-5 in midweek games…Tulane upped its lead in the Tony Robichaux era to 15-12…The Cajuns still lead the all-time series 43-41…Jace Conrad fielded three chances without an error, extending his current streak of consecutive chances fielded flawlessly to 56…Prior to an error on April 20 at South Alabama, Conrad had fielded 135 consecutive chances flawlessly from Feb. 24-April 20…Ben Frith, Ethan Hebert and Kyle Neely all made their second career appearances on the pitcher's mound…Hebert and Neely appeared for the first time since March 7 at McNeese State, while Frith appeared for the first time since April 18 vs. Northwestern State…Kendall Mayer has now thrown scoreless relief in each of his last four appearances, a span which covers nine innings of work…During the streak, Mayer has allowed just two hits and struck out 13.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Tulane Breaks Scoreless Tie in Third Inning, Tops Louisiana 7-3

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