Temple University Athletics
OWLS USE LONG BALL IN SWEEPING DOUBLEHEADER AGAINST UMASS
4.27.03 | Baseball
Temple (16-18, 8-6) hit three home runs in the opener and a pair in the nightcap to send the Minutemen (14-13, 8-6) down to defeat. The two squads finish up the three-game series tomorow at Erny Field at 12 Noon.
The Owls used the long ball to give Justin Mendek (Blackwood, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) a cushion in the second inning of the first game. Catcher Jeff Roma (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) led off with a double down the left field line. He scored on a two-run homer by right fielder Pete Colon (Birdsboro, Pa/Daniel Boone), his fourth of the season. Following a walk and a single, first baseman Rob Cucinotta (Drexel Hill, Pa/Monsignor Bonnor) deposited starter Eric Chow's (4-3) 1-2 pitch over the left center field fence for a 5-0 lead.
Massachusetts finally got to Mendek (2-3), the eventual winner, in the fourth. After retiring the first two batters, the Minutemen bunched three hits together to plate a pair of runs. Matt Boulanger doubled, Jason Twomley singled in Boulanger and after a stolen base, Tom Ellerbrook singled in Twomley.
The Owls added a run in the fifth, once again using the long ball. Left fielder Al Roach (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) homered over the center field fence to give the Owls a 6-2 lead.
Mendek breezed through the fifth and sixth innings but UMass would get to the sophomore in the final frame. With one out, Mike Athas singled and Cullan Maumus was hit by a pitch. That brought in Brian Ursone (Collingdale, Pa/Monsignor Bonnor) in relief of Mendek. After Morgan grounded out to produce one run, Jeff Altieri and Matt Reynolds produced back-to-back RBI singles to cut the Temple lead to 6-5. Ursone then notched his second save in a row by striking out Frank Curreri to end the game.
In the second game, the Owls fought back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 5-2 lead in the second. John Quigley (Bensalem, Pa/Bensalem) walked and moved to third on a single by Jeff Roma. Following a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Mike Silverman (Owings Mills, Md/McDonogh), Pete Colon doubled and Fred Hilliard (Broomall, Pa/Upper Darby) walked to load the bases. Sophomore Jason Connor (Norristown, Pa/Kennedy Kendrick) then hit a grand slam just out of the reach of right fielder Matt Boulanger to give the Owls a 5-2 lead.
UMass would tie the game up at seven in the top of the sixth, but the Owls regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
Following a Weckenman single and a sacrifice bunt, Connor singled in the third baseman to give the Owls an 8-7 lead. Connor would later score to give the Owls a two-run cushion.
Chris Kurtz (5-1) (Richboro, Pa/Archbishop Wood), who came on in relief of starter Mike Caron (Yardley, Pa/Pennsbury), picked up his team-leading fifth win of the season.
