Temple University Athletics
OWLS CAPTURE LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC TITLE WITH DRAMATIC LAST INNING RALLY
4.2.03 | Baseball
The Owls (6-13), who have now won four straight games, showed little muster through the first eight innings before a ninth-inning rally brought the North Broad Street program its third Liberty Bell Classic title.
Saint Joseph's (6-15) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off starter Brian Ursone (Collingdale, Pa/Monsignor Bonner). But the crafty righty got out of a bases loaded one-out jam to halt further damage. Meanwhile, Hawk starter Al Braun mowed down the first 12 batters he faced until the Temple fifth.
Left fielder Al Roach (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) led off the fifth with a long home run to left to tie the score at 1-1. After Mike Caron (Yardley, Pa/Pennsbury) came on for Ursone, the game remained tied until the home sixth.
Caron breezed through the first two hitters but the Hawks bunched four consecutive singles together to take a 3-1 lead. Neither team scored in the seventh and the Owls looked like they were on the verge of tying up the game in the visitors eighth. Second baseman Fred Hilliard (Broomall, Pa/Upper Darby) led off inning with a single and following a pitching change, Pete Colon (Birdsboro, Pa/Daniel Boone) walked. Following a sacrifice bunt, Gene Burpoe (Arlington, Va/Wakefield) walked to load the bases. Reliever Erik Vardijan then induced designated hitter, Mike Silverman (Owings Mills, Md/McDonogh) to hit into a double play to end the threat.
Meanwhile, Temple reliever Chris Kurtz (Richboro, Pa/Archbishop Wood), the eventual Most Outstanding Player, mowed down the Hawks in the eighth.
With their rally caps on, first baseman Rob Cucinotta (Drexel Hill, Pa/Monsignor Bonnor) got things going with a single to right field. Roach was hit by a pitch putting the tying runs on first and second with nobody out. Eric Holman then came on in relief of Vardijan. After a failed bunt attempt, Holman looked like he was on his way of getting out of the jam when Jeff Roma (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) grounded back to the mound. However, Hawks catcher Mike DeLorenzo was called for catchers interference and suddenly the bases were loaded with Owls. Hilliard was promptly hit by a pitch forcing in a run to make the score 3-2. Left fielder Pete Colon then drilled a three-run double to the gap in left-center, clearing the bases as the Owls dugout erupted.
Kurtz, who in the three games won by the Owls in the Classic had two victories and a save, set the Hawks down in the ninth to pick up his third win of the season.
It was the Owls third Liberty Bell Classic title, winning the titles in 1996 and 2000.
