University of Houston
<b>MARSHALL</B>
Five-Run Seventh Inning Lifts Baseball Past Marshall on Friday
5/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 16, 2008
Complete Houston-Marshall Game Book (May 16, 2008) in PDF Format 
HOUSTON - Ryan Lormand's one-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the University of Houston baseball team the lead for good as the Cougars claimed a 7-3 win over Conference USA rival Marshall on Friday during the middle game of a Conference USA series at Cougar Field.
The Cougars took advantage of three hits three walks, a wild pitch and Marshall error to break the game open with five runs in the frame. After loading the bases with one out, Lormand lined a single up the middle to plate Blake Kelso and Jake Stewart who led off with back-to-back walks off Marshall reliever Andrew Hancock.
After breaking a 2-2 tie, the Cougar rally continued with three more runs scoring on a wild pitch, Chris Wallace's infield single and a Thundering Herd throwing error.
That would be all the support that UH starter John Touchton needed to earn his second straight win. The Houston native allowed only two runs off seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts in seven innings to improve to 5-3.
Freshman closer Chase Dempsay retired the lone batter he faced in the ninth inning to collect his team-leading and UH-freshman-record ninth save.
Ryan Lormand went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs to pace the Cougar offense and was the only Cougar slugger to pound out more than one hit in the game.
Hancock collected the loss and fell to 3-2 after allowing four runs off two hits and two walks in 0.1 innings.
Nate Lape went 4-for-4 with a double and run to lead the Marshall offense, which outhit the Cougars 10-8. Jeff Rowley batted 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the losing effort.
With the win, the Cougars improved to 33-21 overall and 13-10 in C-USA games. With the completion of the other C-USA games Saturday, the Cougars also learned that they will compete as the No. 4 or the No. 5 seed against East Carolina at 9 a.m., Wednesday, during the first day of the 2008 C-USA Championship, hosted by Tulane at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
Marshall fell to 26-27-1 overall and 10-12-1 in league games and will compete as the No. 6 seed against No. 3 Tulane at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at the C-USA Championship.
The series wraps up at 1 p.m., Saturday. Fans should note that the series concludes on Saturday, a day earlier than league series regularly end. C-USA teams play Thursday through Saturday during the final weekend of the regular season as teams prepare to travel to the C-USA Championship.
Sophomore southpaw Donnie Joseph is scheduled to take the hill for the Cougars during the regular-season finale. Marshall skipper Jeff Waggoner had not announced his probable starter as of press time.
In addition, all against Marshall will be a part of Little League Night/Day at Cougar Field. All players 12 years old and younger who come to Cougar Field in their Little League jerseys will receive free admission.
Fans can hear all Cougar Baseball games live at UHCougars.com by clicking the appropriate links. Jeremy Branham will call the play-by-play action while former letterwinner Pat Cauley provides color analysis.
Fans always can follow live stats by clicking on the Gametracker link.
The Cougars plated the first run in the second inning after rapping out three hits. Lormand led off with a single to left field and moved into scoring position following Zak Presley's single to left field. Two batters later, Caleb Ramsey lined an RBI-single into left center, plating Lormand for a 1-0 Cougar lead.
The score remained that way until the sixth inning when the Herd scored two runs off three hits and a Cougar error. Lape led off with a double to left field and scored when Victor Gomez reached on an infield single and took second following a UH infield miscue. Two batters later, Brandon Casamassima smashed an RBI-double to the wall in right center to hand Marshall its first lead of the series.
The Cougars knotted the game in the next half inning with a two-out rally. Zak Presley reached on Marshall's first error of the night, stole second and slid under the tag following Bryan Tully's RBI-single through the right side.
In the seventh inning, Kelso and Jake Stewart led off with back-to-back walks, and Jimmy Cesario's one-out single loaded the bases. Lormand slapped a single up the middle to plate Kelso and Stewart. Presley drew a walk to load the bases again, and Cesario scored on a wild pitch. Chris Wallace then reached on an infield single to third base, scoring, Lormand, and a Marshall throwing error to first base allowed Presley to score and give the Cougars a 7-2 lead.
Jeff Rowley led off the Marshall ninth inning with a home run to right field, but that would be as close as the Herd would get the rest of the night
