Temple University Athletics
OWLS AND BONNIES SPLIT TIGHTLY CONTESTED DOUBLEHEADER
4.19.03 | Baseball
In the opener, the Owls got on the board in the opening inning. John Quigley (Bensalem, Pa/Bensalem) led off with a double to right and a single to left by Gene Burpoe (Arlington, Va/Wakefield) put runners on the corner with no outs. Following a popout, Al Roach (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) plated Quigley with a double to left center. Bonnies starter Kyle Johnson (6-1) got out of further trouble by retiring the next two batters on foul popouts.
The Bonnies came right back and scored a pair of runs off Temple starter and tough-luck loser, Matt Powell (Holland, PA/Council Rock), who entered the game with a 13-inning scoreless streak on the mound. A Craig King single, a hit batter and an RBI single by Josh Paine scored the first run and Damian Blakeley hit into a fielders choice to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
Both starters settled in and pitched effectively the rest of the way. Neither team could muster little offensively as Powell (2-5) would allow just two hits the rest of the way while retiring the final 11 batters he faced. The only inning the Bonnies could mount a threat was in the fourth.
A walk and hit batter to lead off the inning gave the Bonnies a chance to extend the lead but Powell got Dan Bratys to hit into a double play and retired Paine on a groundout.
Meanwhile, winning pitcher Kyle Johnson retired seven straight Temple batters entering the last inning. It looked like eight straight but center fielder Matt Landahl dropped Jason Connor's (Norristown, Pa/Kennedy-Kendrick) long fly ball to center for a two-base error. Temple's Jeff Roma (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) failed to move Connor over on a bunt attempt and flew out to left. After a popout, Pete Colon (Birdsboro, PA/Daniel Boone) walked and Bonnies left fielder Dan Bratys saved the day when he ended the game making a diving catch of a fly ball off the bat of Mike Weckenman (Newtown, Pa/Council Rock) down the left field line.
The second game featured another pitching gem by Temple's Mike Caron and St. Bonaventure's Kevin Niemczura.
The only run of the game came in the second inning when Temple's Fred Hilliard (Broomall, Pa/Upper Darby) homered to left field. It was just one of four hits the Owls could get off Niemczura (1-4).
Meanwhile, Caron (4-3), got out of jams in the first and second innings. In the first, the Bonnies loaded the bases with one out, but Caron got Matt Landahl to ground into a double play to end the threat. In the second, the Bonnies put their first two batters on via base hits, but once again Caron wiggled his way out of the jam.
The Bonnies would put the tying run on in the seventh but could not score as Caron finished up the game getting Kevin Ryan to line out into a double play.
The two teams will play the rubber game of the three-game series tomorrow with first pitch at 11:00 a.m.
