Temple University Athletics
BASEBALL BREAKS SLUMP POUNDING OUT 14 HITS IN 12-9 WIN OVER PENN
4.21.04 | Baseball
John Quigley, Jason Connor and Justin Cooper had three hits each while Quigley, Connor and Mike Weckenman drove in a pair of runs each. The Owls also received a solid pitching effort from Tim Andrel (1-3), who retired the first 12 batters he faced.
Temple (15-14) jumped on Penn starter and loser Dan Finkelstein for a pair of runs in the very first inning with two outs. Quigley opened the inning with a double and following two outs, Connor plated Quigley with a single to left. Following a stolen base, Connor came around to score on a single by Pete Colon.
The Owls scored three more times in the second knocking out Finkelstein. Weckenman led off the inning with his fourth home run of the season. Following a walk to catcher Marc Wagner, Cooper singled to center. A walk to Freddy Hilliard loaded the bases and Quigley's two-run single put an end to Finkelstein's day as the home team took a 5-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Andrel retired the Quakers in order through the first four innings with the help of a Brooks Robinson like play at third by Weckenman, who made a back-handed diving stab of a shot off the bat of Mike Goldblatt to throw him out at first.
The Quakers finally got on the board in the sixth, knocking out Andrel. After a pair of leadoff walks, head coach Skip Wilson went to his bullpen and brought in Chris Hamilton. Hamilton induced Alex Blagojevich to hit into a double play but let up a two-run homer to left by Goldblatt to bring the Quakers to within 5-2. It was the first home run hit by an opposing batter at Ambler Field.
Temple looked like they broke the game open in the sixth, scoring seven runs, but Penn came back with six runs of their own in the top of the seventh.
The visitors plated a run in the eighth against reliever Josiah Platchek as the Owls went to Tim Foulkrod out of the bullpen. With two on and one out and the tying run at the plate, Foulkrod retired the next two hitters on a popout to short and a strike out to end the inning. The righthander retired the Quakers in order in the ninth to notch his first save of the season.
Temple will return to conference play this weekend when they host the Saint Joseph's Hawks beginning with a doubleheader at Noon on Saturday. The three-game series concludes on Sunday with a nine-inning affair at Noon.
