University of Memphis Athletics
Wednesday, February 21
Memphis, Tenn.
4 P.M.
University of Memphis
2-3
14
vs
4
Central Arkansas
1-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
R
H
E
Central Arkansas
0
3
0
0
1
0
0
0
4
7
2
Memphis
0
2
5
2
1
0
1
3
14
17
0
Photo by: Matthew Smith
Tigers Tie Program Record with 7 Home Runs, Defeat UCA in Home Opener
Feb 21, 2024 | Baseball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis baseball team opened its 2024 home schedule in fashion, tying the program record with seven long balls in route to a 14-4 win in eight innings over Central Arkansas on Tuesday afternoon at FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field.
"It was important to come back like we did and defend our home turf," head coach Matt Riser said.
The Tigers improved to 2-3 on the young season with the win while UCA dropped to 1-4 overall and has fallen now in back-to-back games after hanging with No. 2 LSU in a 4-3 loss on Monday in Baton Rouge. Memphis' seven home runs accounted for seven of its 17 hits in the win as it tied the single-game team home run record set against Eastern Illinois in 2001.
"It felt great after last night to be able to come in and find barrels left and right," senior Austin Baskin said. "We knew coming into the park today that with the wind blowing all we had to do was get it up in the air, especially with our lineup and the pop we have."
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Central Arkansas jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Bears got their first run on a solo home run by Drew Sturgeon followed by a sac-fly and an RBI double off the bat of AJ Mendolia.
• Pierre Seals clubbed his first home run of the day and put the Tigers on the board in the bottom of the second, driving in teammate Daunte Stuart to cut the Bears' lead to 3-2.
• Memphis piled on in the third frame as they crossed the plate five times thanks to three long balls to jump out to a 7-3 lead. Austin Baskin hit a three-run home run to deep left field before Seals came back to the plate and hit his second home run (solo) in as many innings. Catcher Brennan DuBose hit his first deep fly of the season the very next batter as the Tigers went back-to-back.
• Stuart added to the Tiger lead with a two-run double that scored Baskin and Jake Curtis in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 9-3.
• UCA's Zeb Allen hit a solo shot in the top of the fifth before Curtis got in on the fun in the bottom of the frame with a solo shot for his first of the season to bring the score to 10-4.
• Tyler Heckert came in to play second base when Curtis moved from shortstop to the mound in the seventh inning and blasted a solo shot in his first at-bat of the contest to make it an 11-4 Memphis lead.
• Baskin came back to the plate in the eighth inning and belted his second home run of the game – the seventh overall for the Tigers – to extend the Tiger lead to 12-4. An RBI double by DuBose and a pinch-hit RBI double down the right-field line by CJ Willis put the Tigers up 14-4 to end the game early in eight innings.
NOTABLES
• Memphis tallied 17 hits in the game with 12 of them going for extra bases. The Tigers tallied 43 total bases in the win (7 HR, 5 2B, 5 1B) – good for the second-most in program history and the most since totaling 42 bases against Marshall in 2010.
• The Tigers more than doubled their season home run total (entered with six), clobbering seven round-trippers on a windy day at FedExPark. The two teams combined to hit nine balls out of the yard.
• LHP JT Durham got the start and pitched three innings, allowing three runs on four hits with a strikeout and a pair of walks to earn the win and improve to 2-0 on the season. Durham has been credited with the win in both of Memphis' wins this year.
• Jonah Posey relieved Durham and faced the minimum of three batters in his lone inning of work for a strong debut as a Tiger.
• Curtis went 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot with a home run, a double, two runs scored and an RBI.
• Seals also ended the game 3-for-5 (all extra-base hits) doing his damage with a pair of long balls and a double to go with three RBI.
• Baskin's two home runs accounted for four RBI and he scored three runs himself.
• Will Marcy made his Memphis debut and recorded hits in his first two at-bats as a Tiger before ending the day 2-for-4 with a run scored.
• DuBose and Stuart both logged a pair of hits. DuBose's both went for extra bases (HR, 2B) while Stuart doubled and drove in two runs.
• Waylon Sebren made his Tiger debut and faced the minimum three batters in his only inning of work, striking out a pair.
• Curtis not only tallied three hits, but he pitched the final two innings in the win while allowing just one hit and striking out three.
UP NEXT
• The Tigers are back at FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. as they welcome Bowling Green (1-2) to the Bluff City for the first home three-game weekend series of the season.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Baseball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
"It was important to come back like we did and defend our home turf," head coach Matt Riser said.
The Tigers improved to 2-3 on the young season with the win while UCA dropped to 1-4 overall and has fallen now in back-to-back games after hanging with No. 2 LSU in a 4-3 loss on Monday in Baton Rouge. Memphis' seven home runs accounted for seven of its 17 hits in the win as it tied the single-game team home run record set against Eastern Illinois in 2001.
"It felt great after last night to be able to come in and find barrels left and right," senior Austin Baskin said. "We knew coming into the park today that with the wind blowing all we had to do was get it up in the air, especially with our lineup and the pop we have."
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Central Arkansas jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Bears got their first run on a solo home run by Drew Sturgeon followed by a sac-fly and an RBI double off the bat of AJ Mendolia.
• Pierre Seals clubbed his first home run of the day and put the Tigers on the board in the bottom of the second, driving in teammate Daunte Stuart to cut the Bears' lead to 3-2.
• Memphis piled on in the third frame as they crossed the plate five times thanks to three long balls to jump out to a 7-3 lead. Austin Baskin hit a three-run home run to deep left field before Seals came back to the plate and hit his second home run (solo) in as many innings. Catcher Brennan DuBose hit his first deep fly of the season the very next batter as the Tigers went back-to-back.
• Stuart added to the Tiger lead with a two-run double that scored Baskin and Jake Curtis in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 9-3.
• UCA's Zeb Allen hit a solo shot in the top of the fifth before Curtis got in on the fun in the bottom of the frame with a solo shot for his first of the season to bring the score to 10-4.
• Tyler Heckert came in to play second base when Curtis moved from shortstop to the mound in the seventh inning and blasted a solo shot in his first at-bat of the contest to make it an 11-4 Memphis lead.
• Baskin came back to the plate in the eighth inning and belted his second home run of the game – the seventh overall for the Tigers – to extend the Tiger lead to 12-4. An RBI double by DuBose and a pinch-hit RBI double down the right-field line by CJ Willis put the Tigers up 14-4 to end the game early in eight innings.
NOTABLES
• Memphis tallied 17 hits in the game with 12 of them going for extra bases. The Tigers tallied 43 total bases in the win (7 HR, 5 2B, 5 1B) – good for the second-most in program history and the most since totaling 42 bases against Marshall in 2010.
• The Tigers more than doubled their season home run total (entered with six), clobbering seven round-trippers on a windy day at FedExPark. The two teams combined to hit nine balls out of the yard.
• LHP JT Durham got the start and pitched three innings, allowing three runs on four hits with a strikeout and a pair of walks to earn the win and improve to 2-0 on the season. Durham has been credited with the win in both of Memphis' wins this year.
• Jonah Posey relieved Durham and faced the minimum of three batters in his lone inning of work for a strong debut as a Tiger.
• Curtis went 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot with a home run, a double, two runs scored and an RBI.
• Seals also ended the game 3-for-5 (all extra-base hits) doing his damage with a pair of long balls and a double to go with three RBI.
• Baskin's two home runs accounted for four RBI and he scored three runs himself.
• Will Marcy made his Memphis debut and recorded hits in his first two at-bats as a Tiger before ending the day 2-for-4 with a run scored.
• DuBose and Stuart both logged a pair of hits. DuBose's both went for extra bases (HR, 2B) while Stuart doubled and drove in two runs.
• Waylon Sebren made his Tiger debut and faced the minimum three batters in his only inning of work, striking out a pair.
• Curtis not only tallied three hits, but he pitched the final two innings in the win while allowing just one hit and striking out three.
UP NEXT
• The Tigers are back at FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. as they welcome Bowling Green (1-2) to the Bluff City for the first home three-game weekend series of the season.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Baseball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Durham, JT (2-0)
L: TITLOW, Perry (0-1)
Batting:
2B: MENDOLIA, AJ 1
HR: ALLEN, Zeb 1 ; STURGEON, Drew 1
RBI: MENDOLIA, AJ 1 ; ALLEN, Zeb 1 ; STURGEON, Drew 1 ; LEONARD, Tanner 1
SH: KING, Mason 1
SF: LEONARD, Tanner 1
Base Running:
RUNS: ALLEN, Zeb 1 ; STURGEON, Drew 1 ; CURTIS, Preston 1 ; SAGELY, Colton 1
HBP: SAGELY, Colton 1
Batting:
2B: Curtis, Jake 1 ; Willis, CJ 1 ; Stuart, Daunte 1 ; Seals, Pierre 1 ; DuBose, Brennan 1
HR: Curtis, Jake 1 ; Heckert, Tyler 1 ; Baskin, Austin 2 ; Seals, Pierre 2 ; DuBose, Brennan 1
RBI: Curtis, Jake 1 ; Willis, CJ 1 ; Heckert, Tyler 1 ; Baskin, Austin 4 ; Stuart, Daunte 2 ; Seals, Pierre 3 ; DuBose, Brennan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Curtis, Jake 2 ; Marcy, Will 1 ; Heckert, Tyler 1 ; Compton, Jacob 1 ; Baskin, Austin 3 ; Stuart, Daunte 1 ; Seals, Pierre 3 ; DuBose, Brennan 2
SB: Curtis, Jake 1 ; Marcy, Will 1
Game Leaders
ss/p
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
3
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
4
Players Mentioned
INF
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/ Baseball
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