Temple University Athletics
TORRA AND MINUTEMEN HAND OWLS 7-2 DEFEAT WITH LATE INNING RALLY
4.28.03 | Baseball
Torra (4-3) allowed two unearned runs in the opening frame but blanked the Owls the rest of the way in earning the complete game victory. The win keeps UMass (15-13, 9-6) in second place in the eastern division of the Atlantic 10 Conference, while the Owls (16-19, 8-7) drop out of the second place tie with UMass to the third position.
The Owls wasted little time, jumping on starter Matt Torra for two unearned runs in the opening frame. With one out, Rob Cucinotta (Drexel Hill, Pa/Monsignor Bonnor) singled to center but Gene Brupoe (Arlington, Va/Wakefield) was thrown out at third after he reached on a walk. Consecutive errors by third baseman Matt Reynolds quickly gave the Owls a 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Temple starter Matt Powell (2-6) (Holland, Pa/Council Rock) breezed through the first three innings before being touched up for a run in the fourth. With one out, Matt Reynolds doubled and following a strikeout, Curt Szado reached on an infield single moving Reynolds to third. He scored on a single off the bat of Frank Curreri.
Temple continued to hold on to a one-run lead until the eighth. With one out, Jeff Altieri singled through the left side. Matt Reynolds walked and Matt Boulanger delivered a pinch hit single to score pinch runner Sean Sarno. Following an RBI single by Curt Szado, Brian Ursone (Collingdale, Pa/Monsignor Bonnor) replaced Powell. Frank Curreri greeted Ursone with an RBI single as the Minutemen took a 5-2 lead.
UMass would add two more runs in the ninth but the story of the game was Minutemen starter, Matt Torra. The right-hander did allow 10 hits but only walked two, while striking out nine.
The Owls travel to West Point tomorrow afternoon to take on Army and then play back-to-back non-conference games on Wednesday and Thursday against Delaware and Villanova.
