The Tulane baseball team secured a 4-2 win over Wichita State in the opening game of their conference series at Eck Stadium on April 2. The victory ended a three-game conference losing streak for Tulane, bringing their record to 16-15 overall and 3-4 in the American Athletic Conference.
This result is significant as it helps Tulane regain momentum within the conference and demonstrates improvements in both pitching and hitting after recent losses.
Jake Toporek started for Tulane, pitching over five innings without allowing a run and striking out four batters. Relief pitchers Jude Abbadessa, Beau Sampson, and Sam Larson combined to finish the game, with Larson earning his second save of the season by recording the final out with the tying run on base. Matthew Cuccias took his first loss of the season for Wichita State after giving up three runs in just under five innings.
Tye Wood led Tulane’s offense with four hits, including his third home run of the year and three runs batted in. Trent Liolios contributed two hits along with an RBI and a run scored. Jason Wachs extended his on-base streak to 57 games dating back to last season by reaching base twice during this matchup.
Tulane scored early with Liolios driving in Nate Johnson in the first inning. Wood added a two-run double later before hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning. Despite late efforts from Wichita State, including RBI singles from Kaleb Duncan and Owen Rush, Tulane held onto its lead until Larson closed out the game.
The teams will meet again for game two of their series on Friday evening at Eck Stadium.
