Temple University Athletics
RIDER OUTLASTS TEMPLE, 15-11, IN WILD AFFAIR
4.15.03 | Baseball
Temple (11-15) took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning that was short-lived. A walk to Gene Burpoe (Arlington, Va/Wakefield) was followed by a single off the bat of Rob Cucinotta (Drexel Hill, Pa/Monsignor Bonnor). Back-to-back walks to Al Roach (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) and Jason Connor (Norristown, Pa/Kennedy-Kendrick) plated one run and Jeff Roma's (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) groundout scored the second run of the inning.
Rider (11-14) came back with three runs of its own in the home first off starter Bryan Stamm (Mifflinburg, Pa/Mifflinburg). The Broncs had just two hits but two walks contributed to the three-run inning. It was the first time on the mound for Stamm since he went one-inning against South Alabama on March 15. He came on in relief on March 23 against Richmond but never threw a pitch, injuring himself during his warmups on the mound.
The Owls regained the lead in the second on John Quigley's (Bensalem, Pa/Bensalem) two-run homer off starter, Matt Zupanc.
Rider would take a 7-5 lead but the Owls tied it with a pair of runs in the fourth. Mike Weckenman (Newtown, Pa/Council Rock) and Quigley hit back-to-back doubles that plated one run and Quigley would score the second run on an Al Roach single to right.
Meanwhile, Tim Andrel (Upper Darby, Pa/Upper Darby) came in to pitch two scoreless innings for the Owls until he ran out of gas and was touched up for two runs in the home fifth.
Trailing, 9-7 heading into the sixth, the Owls would erupt for four runs to take an 11-7 lead. Weckenman led off with a single and after Quigley reached on an error, Burpoe singled to right field to plate Weckenman. Cucinotta followed with a single for two more runs and Connor rounded out the scoring with a single to right.
With Justin Mendek (1-3) on in relief of Andrel, the Broncs scored five runs in the bottom of the inning to retake a 14-11 lead. The big hits in the inning were two-run doubles by Scott Rich and David Deane.
Temple would mount a small threat in the seventh, but the Broncs got out of the inning without a run being scored as Larry Samples entered the game for eventual winning pitcher, Justin Cocliff (1-0) with two outs and two on and got Al Roach to groundout.
The Owls would go quietly in the eighth and ninth, dropping their second consecutive game after winning nine straight.
The pitchers on both sides must have fallen victim to the warm weather. The teams combined for 15 walks along with 10 wild pitches.
Temple takes on Navy at Erny Field tomorrow (4/16) at 3:30 p.m. before getting back in Atlantic 10 play with a crucial three-game home series against St. Bonaventure beginning with a doubleheader at Noon.
