Temple University Athletics
CUCINOTTA RECORD-TYING HOME RUN LEADS TEMPLE PAST FORDHAM, 4-1, IN GETAWAY GAME
5.4.03 | Baseball
Cucinotta (Drexel Hill, Pa/Monsignor Bonnor) tied former Temple Owl, Bobby Higginson, who played for Skip Wilson in 1989 and again in 1991 and 1992. His first-inning home run off of Fordham starter and loser, Craig Tscherednikov, gave the Owls a 1-0 lead.
The Owls got a much-need complete game out of starter and winner, Mike Caron (Yardley, Pa/Pennsbury). The senior right-hander allowed just six hits, while striking out four. Caron (6-3) worked himself out of a couple of tough jams, stranding 10 Fordham runners. He left two Ram runners on base in the fourth, sixth, seventh and the final inning.
Following Cucinotta's record-tying home run in the first, the Owls added a run in the second on an RBI single off the bat of Gene Burpoe (Arlington, Va/Wakefield).
Fordham would score their only run off Caron in the second but the Owls would get that back in the fourth. Catcher Jeff Roma (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott), who made his first conference error in the second game of the doubleheader since May, 2001, hit a leadoff home run to give the Owls and Caron a 3-1 lead.
The Owls finished off the scoring in the eighth. Cucinotta, who had three hits on the day to lead a 10-hit atttack, doubled to left center off reliever, Andrew Paolillo. John Quigley (Bensalem, Pa/Bensalem) moved him to third on a scrifice bunt and following an Al Roach (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) ground out, third baseman Mike Weckenman (Newtown, Pa/Council Rock) came through with a big two-out single to score Cucinotta.
