UCF and Tulane completed season-opening sweeps in American Athletic Conference baseball action on Sunday, Feb. 20.

Sunday, February 20
UCF 18, Siena 0 - Box Score
Tulane 6, UMass Lowell 5 - Box Score
TCU 10, Houston 0 (8) - Box Score
Bryant 4, East Carolina 3 - Box Score
FGCU 16, Cincinnati 8 - Box Score
Charlotte 10, South Florida 4 - Box Score
Valparaiso 10, Memphis 8 - Box Score
Louisiana Tech 5, Wichita State 3 - Box Score

UCF 18, Siena 0 - Box Score
ORLANDO -- UCF (3-0) completed a season-opening sweep of Siena with an 18-0 victory on Sunday at John Euliano Park.

The Knights score four runs in the first inning and six in the second and never looked back. Ben McCabe led the Knights with two hits, two runs scored and four runs driven in. Gephry Pena and Riley Wash also had two hits each for UCF, which saw 10 total batters earn base hits.

Hunter Patteson (1-0) earned the victory for the Knights, striking out nine batters in five innings of work.

Tulane 6, UMass Lowell 5 - Box Score
NEW ORLEANS- The Tulane University baseball team (3-0) won 5-4, completing the sweep of the University of Massachusetts Lowell (0-3), on Sunday afternoon inside Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
 
Tulane looked like it was going to cruise to the sweep early in the game before UML roared back into the game. The comeback effort fell just short however, as Tulane scored the crucial game-winning run in the eighth inning to claim the win.
 
True freshman Michael Massey took the hill for his Green Wave debut. Massey tossed four innings while striking out three and allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits. After going down 1-0 in the first on a solo home run by Robert Gallagher, Tulane loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning. Chase Engelhard came to the plate with two outs and hit a 105-mph laser directly to the third baseman, keeping the River Hawks ahead for the time being.
 
Trevor Minder tied the game in the bottom of the second when he launched a line-drive home run over the left field wall. Tulane added three more runs in the inning thanks to a few miscues by the Red Hawks' defense and RBI singles from Bennett Lee and Luis Aviles.
 
In the bottom of the third, Jared Hart singled to left, scoring Ethan Groff and increasing the Tulane lead to 5-1.
 
UML looked prepared to start a rally in the top of the fourth when they had a runner on first with no outs and designated hitter Jimmy Sullivan hit a ball down the right field line. Groff tracked it down and threw a two-hop seed to second base where Engelhard tagged the sliding Sullivan. The Red Hawks did score one run in the inning, but Groff's play killed a potential big inning. 
 
The River Hawks tied the game in the top of the fifth thanks to a two-run home run by Gallagher and a solo shot from Gerry Siracusa.
 
With the game still tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, Chase Engelhard came to the plate with Aviles on second. Engelhard rolled a ground ball up the middle that was fielded by the shortstop who ranged far to his left. Engelhard hustled down the line and beat the throw for an infield single. Meanwhile, Aviles sprinted to third and didn't stop as he hit the bag, hustling home to score. The Red Hawks were caught completely off-guard as Aviles slid home, scoring the game-winning run.  

TCU 10, Houston (8) - Box Score
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Eighth-ranked TCU scored five times across the first three innings in route to a 10-0 run-rule victory in eight innings during Sunday's finale at the MLB4 Tournament from Salt River Fields.
 
The Cougars (0-3) put together eight hits but batted .250 (3-for-12) with runners aboard including .000 (0-for-4) with runners in scoring position. Samuel Benjamin (2-for-4) and Ryan Hernandez (2-for-4) led Houston offensively.  
 
Houston starter Kerry Wright (0-1) issued five first-inning walks and allowed two runs in 0.2 innings. Cougar reliever Jaycob Deese allowed Houston to keep its deficit within reach, permitting one run on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings.
 
Four TCU (2-1) players registered multiple hits including shortstop Tommy Sacco (3-for-4, 3 runs) and third baseman Brayden Taylor (3-for-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI). Starter Brett Walker (1-0) worked around seven hits and a pair of walks in 6.2 scoreless frames.

Bryant 4, East Carolina 3 - Box Score
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Matt Smith scored the game-winning run for Bryant on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth giving the Bulldogs a 4-3 series sweep over No. 12 East Carolina Sunday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.
 
With the score tied at three-all going to the ninth, Alex Lane laced an opening frame double to left center and was immediately lifted for Smith as the pinch runner. After Nick Logusch was lifted on the mound for Skylar Brooks, the right-hander struck out Tommy Ditullio for the first out. Merritt Beeker, who made his second appearance of the weekend for the Pirates, replaced Brooks getting Matt Woods to ground out where Smith took off for third. A couple pitches later, Smith would dart home on a Beeker wild pitch for the would-be game-winning run.
 
Liam Levangie (1-0) earned the win in relief working 2.1 scoreless frames allowing one hit, two walks and striking out four. Starter Logan Frasier gave up one run (earned) on five hits with two free passes and two punch outs in four innings. Brett Wichrowski was touched for a pair of runs (both earned) on three hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts in 2.2 relief frames.
 
Logusch (0-1) took the loss allowing one run (earned) on one hit in his inning of relief work. Starter Jake Hunter, who was the first true freshman to start an opening weekend game since Trey Benton in 2017, was steady in his debut giving up one run (earned) on three hits with two strikeouts and two walks in four full frames. The Pirates used seven arms in relief getting work from Ben Terwilliger (0.2 IP, 2 Rs), Ryder Giles (0.1 IP, 1 H), Josh Grosz (1.0 IP, 1 K), Carter Spivey (1.0 IP, 3 Ks), Logusch, Brooks (0.1 IP, 1 K) and Beeker (0.2 IP).

FGCU 16, Cincinnati 8 - Box Score
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Cincinnati Bearcats dropped game four of their season-opening series in a 16-8 loss to the FGCU Eagles on Sunday afternoon.

Sophomore Aiden Bradbury (0-1) took the loss in his first career start for Cincinnati (2-2). Sophomore Zach Segal was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going 2.2 innings, surrendering one unearned run on two hits, walking two and striking out one.

In addition to his three hits, junior Paul Komistek had a home run and two RBIs to lead the Bearcats. Sophomore Ryan Nicholson put together a noteworthy effort as well, going 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. Senior Jake Hansen also helped out for Cincinnati, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding an RBI.

Charlotte 10, South Florida 4 - Box Score
TAMPA – The USF baseball team (1-2) closed out the opening weekend of the 2022 season with an 8-3 loss to Charlotte (2-1) at the USF Baseball Stadium Sunday. The game was called due to time constraints midway through the ninth and, under the rules, the score and stats revert back to where they stood at the completion of the eighth.

The Bulls, coming off an American Athletic Conference championship and first-ever NCAA Super Regional appearance last season, welcomed tremendous crowds and a total of 4,995 fans to Red McEwen Field over the weekend. USF went 1-2, downing Louisville on Saturday while dropping an extra-inning contest with UConn on Friday.

On Sunday, Charlotte starter Will Lancaster held the Bulls scoreless through 5 and a third, giving up just two hits and leaving with an 8-0 lead in the sixth.

Sophomores Carmine Lane did the damage for the Bulls, hitting a three-run homer in the sixth. Sophomore Matt Ruiz got an inside-the-park home run in the ninth, but the play was negated due to the game being called before the end of the ninth inning, which saw an extended delay due to injuries to two Charlotte players on the Ruiz play. USF sent nine pitchers to the mound, with the middle six holding the 49ers scoreless while scattering four hits.

Valparaiso 10, Memphis 8 - Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – On the windiest day of the first series of the season, with massive gusts out towards centerfield, the Memphis Tigers (2-1) and Valparaiso Beacons (1-2) combined for seven home runs, as the Beacons avoided a sweep with a 10-8 victory.
 
Memphis struck early against LHP Jake Miller, (W, 1-0), as SS Ben Brooks connected on his first home run of the season, a two-run blast in the first inning.

The Beacons quickly got back in the game, as they plated a pair of runs on four hits in the second frame against RHP Carson Stinnett (L, 0-1), while a home run by 3B Kaleb Hannahs to lead off the third put Valparaiso in front.

Taylor Howell recorded his second career multi-home run game.

Louisiana Tech 5, Wichita State 3 - Box Score
RUSTON, La. – Wichita State put the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the eighth inning, but couldn't bring them home as Louisiana Tech completed the three-game sweep with a 5-3 win on Sunday afternoon at Pat Patterson Park.
 
Trailing by a pair entering the eighth, the Shockers (0-3) put their first two men aboard in the inning via a walk and a single. Sawyre Thornhill followed with a base hit of his own, but Brock Rodden was thrown out at the plate by Louisiana Tech left fielder Philip Matulia for the first out. Payton Tolle drew a walk to load the bases, but Bulldogs closer Kyle Crigger fanned the next two to stymie the threat.

Despite a one-out single in the top of the ninth from Seth Stroh, Crigger again retired two in succession to nail down his first save of the season.

Louisiana Tech (1-0) struck first in the first on a Matulia solo homer, though the Shockers promptly answered back with a tally of their own in the second. Tolle reached second when a dropped third strike was thrown away, advanced to third on a groundout, and came in to score on a wild pitch from La Tech starter Jarret Whorff.

Cole McConnell put the Bulldogs back in front in the bottom of the third inning with a two-run single, and a wild pitch plated another to make it 4-1.

The Shockers put together a crooked number inning of their own in the top of the fifth. Jordan Rogers picked up his first collegiate hit with a leadoff double, then Stroh coaxed a walk before Cadena was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brock Rodden drove home a run with a sacrifice fly, and Couper Cornblum followed by legging out an infield single to trim the lead to 4-3.
 
Louisiana Tech got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a two-out RBI single from Adarius Myers for the final margin.
 
Greg Martinez (1-0) picked up the win for the Bulldogs with three innings of scoreless relief, while Shockers starter Will Stevens (0-1) was saddled with the loss, allowing four runs in two-plus innings. Caden Favors, Cameron Bye, Creighton Hansen and Connor Holden all made their first appearances of the season out of the Wichita State bullpen, surrendering just one unearned run over six combined frames.