NEW ORLEANS (Interstat) — A chaotic first inning set the tone and a lockdown bullpen sealed the deal as the Tulane Green Wave defeated the New Orleans Privateers 5-2 on Tuesday night at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The game’s decisive moment came in the bottom of the first inning. After the Privateers had staked starter Gus Leonard to a 2-0 lead in the top half, the right-hander completely lost his command. Leonard failed to record an out, loading the bases on a double, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk. A mound visit did nothing to stem the tide, as he then proceeded to walk three consecutive Tulane batters – Nate Johnson, Connor Pinkney, and Teo Wood – each forcing in a run. Leonard was replaced by Luke Hymel with the bases still loaded, the game tied, and no outs.

Hymel provided immediate, heroic relief for New Orleans, inducing a run-scoring groundout from Brady Rowell before retiring the next two batters to escape the jam. His final line was stellar: five innings pitched, no hits, no earned runs, and one strikeout. However, the damage was done. Tulane had sent nine men to the plate, scoring four runs on just one hit – Harrison’s leadoff double – while drawing five walks and a hit-by-pitch.

From there, the game transformed into a pitchers’ duel defined by relief efforts. Tulane’s Jack Brafa, named the top star for the Green Wave, set the standard with three dominant innings of relief to begin the game. He allowed just one hit and struck out four, stabilizing the game after the wild first and earning the win. The Green Wave bullpen followed his lead with near-flawless work. Sam Larson struck out five over 2 1/3 hitless innings, and Beau Sampson recorded the final out of the ninth for the save. As a unit, Tulane relievers combined for six innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out 10.

New Orleans chipped away, scoring once in the fifth on a double steal and a throwing error, and again in the seventh on an RBI single by Valentin. But each time, Tulane had an answer. The Green Wave added a critical insurance run in the seventh off Privateers reliever Gus Rogers, with Johnson delivering a key RBI single to score Harrison, who had reached on a walk and advanced on a Rogers throwing error.

The Privateers out-hit Tulane 6-4 but could not overcome the early deficit or solve the Green Wave’s relief corps. They also ran into outs on the bases, with Smith caught stealing in the first and picked off in the eighth.

With the victory, Tulane improves to 10-11 on the season and avenges an 11-3 loss to the Privateers on Feb. 24. New Orleans falls to 9-13. The result defied the projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 4-2 Privateers win, though it aligned with the system’s ELO rating that gave Tulane a 63.1% probability to win.

Tulane is scheduled to host Northwestern State on Wednesday, while New Orleans travels to face Louisiana-Monroe.