CLEARWATER, Florida – Strong pitching and key late hitting propelled No. 2 Tulane to a 4-1 win over No. 7 Houston in the third game of the 2021 American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Tuesday, May 25 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla.
Tulane’s Trent Johnson and Houston’s Robert Gasser battled in a pitcher’s duel early that saw only two hits allowed by each pitcher through five innings. The Green Wave (29-22) were able to score at least a run in the sixth, seventh and eighth to pull away for the win.
Johnson (3-4), making only his fifth start of the season for the Green Wave, pitched 7.1 innings of four-hit ball with six strikeouts and only one run allowed. Keagan Gillies had two strikeouts in a five-out save, his fifth of the season. Gasser (6-6) struck out 10 batters in 7.1 innings for Houston (19-33), allowing four runs in the loss.
With the win, Tulane will play the winner of No. 3 Wichita State and No. 6 South Florida on Thursday, May 27. Houston will face the loser of the Shockers and the Bulls on Wednesday, May 27. Both games will take place 47 minutes after the first games each day, which begin at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT.
The Green Wave broke the deadlock in the bottom of the sixth inning on Jacob Laprairie’s sacrifice bunt that scored Ethan Groff. Houston responded in the top of the seventh as Ryan Hernandez hit a solo home run to left center, his 11th of the season.
Tulane retook the lead as Walker Burchfield launched his first home run of the season to left field in the bottom of the seventh. The Green Wave added insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI double by Collin Burns and a single by Laprairie that scored Burns.
Championship Schedule
Tuesday, May 25 | ESPN+
Game 1: No. 5 UCF 14, No. 4 Cincinnati 10
Game 2: No. 8 Memphis 11, No. 1 East Carolina 1 (7 innings)
Game 3: No. 2 Tulane 4, No. 7 Houston 1
Game 4: No. 6 South Florida vs. No. 3 Wichita State | 8:45 p.m.
Wednesday, May 26 | ESPN+
Game 5: No. 4 Cincinnati vs. No. 1 East Carolina | 3 p.m.
Game 6: No. 7 Houston vs. Loser of Game 4 | 47 minutes following Game 5
Thursday, May 27 | ESPN+
Game 7: No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 5 UCF | 3 p.m.
Game 8: Winner of Game 4 vs. No. 2 Tulane | 47 minutes following Game 7
Friday, May 28 | ESPN+
Game 9: Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 7 | 1 p.m.
Game 10: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 8 | 47 minutes following Game 9
Saturday, May 29 | ESPN+
Game 11: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 9 | 9 a.m.
Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10 | 47 minutes following Game 11
Game 13 (if necessary): Loser of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 11 | TBD
Game 14 (if necessary): Loser of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 12 | TBD
Sunday, May 30 | ESPNews
Game 15: Semifinal winners | Noon
