UCF, East Carolina, Houston and Memphis all picked up series-opening wins in American Athletic Conference baseball action on Friday, April 29.

Friday, April 29
Houston 6, South Florida 5 - Box Score
UCF 2, Tulane 1 - Box Score
East Carolina 9, Cincinnati 7 - Box Score
Memphis 7, Wichita State 6 - Box Score

Houston 6, South Florida 5 - Box Score
TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Houston erased a one-run deficit in the sixth inning, scoring four times between the sixth and seventh to defeat South Florida 6-5 in the series opener Friday afternoon from USF Baseball Stadium.
 
Houston junior closer Ben Sears stranded the tying run at third in the ninth to secure his ninth save. The right-hander, who stranded two more in the seventh, allowed two hits and one run with a walk and two strikeouts in 2.1 innings.
 
Houston (27-15, 8-5 American) needed just one hit and capitalized on South Florida miscues in the sixth, scoring twice to re-take a 4-3 lead as three consecutive batters reached. A wild pitch and sacrifice fly from senior Ryan Hernandez provided the damage. The Bulls (23-18, 4-9 American) had taken a one-run advantage in the fifth.
 
Cougar sophomore Samuel Tormos (2 for 3) led off the seventh with a single and Houston stretched its advantage to three as junior Brandon Uhse and redshirt sophomore Zach Arnold connected on an RBI-double and RBI-single, respectively. 
 
Houston junior starter Jaycob Deese (4-2) earned the victory, allowing four runs on six hits in 6.2 innings. The right-hander, who has tossed 5.0-plus innings in eight of his nine starts, walked a pair and struck out six.

UCF 2, Tulane 1 - Box Score
ORLANDO, Fla. – Ben Vespi worked a career-high seven innings, striking out a career-high seven batters, earning the win Friday night, as UCF Baseball (25-16, 9-4) defeated Tulane (26-16-1, 8-5).
 
Vespi and Kyle Kramer combined to retire 15-striaght Green Wave batters, before a double in the ninth broke that streak. Kramer worked the final two innings, allowing one hit and struck out four batters to earn his fifth save of the season.
 
Tulane opened the scoring in the second, scoring after a leadoff doubled dropped into the gap in left center. Vespi would close the door on the inning, limiting the damage to one run, before striking out the final batter of the inning. 
 
The Green Wave and UCF traded scoreless innings, unit the seventh when Ben McCabe singled to lead off the inning. Michael Brooks dropped down a two-strike sacrifice bunt down the third base line, forcing the third baseman to rush the throw over the head of the first basemen. Brooks reached second safely, and McCabe came around to tie the ballgame at one a side.
 
Trent Taylor moved Brooks to third with a sacrifice bunt of his own, before Pablo Ruiz stepped up to the plate. With two-out and two-strikes, Ruiz was able to loft one over the second baseman's head to score Brooks from third and give the Knights a 2-1 lead. 

East Carolina 9, Cincinnati 7 - Box Score
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Carter Spivey allowed one run over 4.1 innings of relief, while his offense banged out 12 hits leading East Carolina to a 9-7 win over Cincinnati Friday night at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. With the win the Pirates improve to 25-18 over and 9-4 in American Athletic Conference play and the Bearcats drop to 17-22 and 7-6.
 
Trailing 6-5 going to the bottom of the fifth inning, ECU scored a pair of runs retaking the lead at 7-6. With one away, Bryson Worrell singled up the middle and took second on when Ben Newton was hit by a pitch. Alec Markarewicz followed with a fly ball out to right-center where Worrell tagged up and then scored on the second error of the contest by Wyatt Stapp on the relay throw in knotting the game at six-all. After Cam Clonch put runners on first and second with a single through the right side, Josh Moylan registered his third hit on the night singling home Newton with another shot through the right side.
 
Spivey (4-0) earned the win in relief giving up the lone run in the ninth inning. The right-hander scattered four hits over 4.1 frames with a walk and four punch outs. Starter Ryder Giles allowed four runs (all earned) on six hits with a pair of strikeouts in 2.2 innings before passing the ball off to Garrett Saylor in the third. Saylor surrendered a pair of runs (both earned) on three hits with four punch outs in two innings of work.
 
Beau Keathley (3-2) suffered the loss after he was touched for seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings. Max Bergmann gave up two runs (both earned) on two hits with three strikeouts and one walk in two stanzas, while Jackson Murphy tossed a scoreless eighth frame.

Memphis 7, Wichita State 6 - Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Trailing 4-0 after 2.5 innings, the Memphis Tigers (20-19, 5-8) rallied to tie the game with four runs in the fourth, only to fall back behind one batter into the fifth against the Wichita State Shockers (13-29, 2-11). Memphis rallied once again, as the Tigers scored three runs in the seventh, the latter two on a two-out, two-run double by 1B Chris Swanberg in a 7-6 come from behind win in the series opener.
 
The Shockers added a run in the second on an RBI double by Andrew Stewart, and grew the lead to 4-0 on a two-run home run by Sawyre Thornhill in the third frame.

After a leadoff single by Jacob Compton, Ian Bibiloni cut the Memphis deficit in half with a two-run home run. Three straight singles followed Bibiloni's third home run of the season, as a base hit by Logan Kohler pulled the Tigers within one, while Zach Wilson tied the game 4-4 with a sacrifice fly.

Compton tied the game with an RBI groundout, as he beat out a potential double play ball, while Caden Favors then hit Bibiloni and gave up a go-ahead two-run, two-out double to Swanberg, which put Memphis in front 7-5.