Temple University Athletics
FRITZ STIFLES PENN IN 5-2 WIN
3.16.05 | Baseball
PHILADELPHIA -- Freshman Eric Fritz threw a one-hitter over five innings to earn his first collegiate win as Temple defeated Penn, 5-2, on Wednesday at Murphy Field. Making his second start of the season, Fritz did not allow a hit until the sixth inning and struck out one batter. Six Owls recorded hits, including a two-run single from sophomore Dan Brady.
Brady drove in his two runs in the second inning. Senior Mike Weckenman and freshman Devon Swope were hit by pitches and freshman Tom Dolan laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third. The two runners scored on Brady's single to left to put Temple (5-6) on top 2-0.
The visitors added two more runs in the third. Junior Marc Wagner doubled down the leftfield line to leadoff the frame. He scored on a senior Jason Connor single up the middle to increase the advantage to 3-0. Connor later scored on a single by Dolan.
Pitching with a comfortable 4-0 lead, Fritz (1-1) cruised. He induced a double-play to erase two first inning walks and retired 16 of the next 17 batters before giving up a lead-off single to Andrew Bechta in the sixth. Senior Chris Hamilton got out of a first and second, no out jam in the frame to keep Penn (0-9) off the board.
Temple added an insurance run in the top of the sixth when Weckenman drove home Wagner with an RBI double. The Quakers scored single runs in the seventh (wild pitch) and ninth (Bryan Graves RBI double) to complete the scoring.
TU, which has been hit by a pitch ten times in the last two ball games, managed only six hits and left 12 runners on base.
The Quakers used five different pitchers on the afternoon with starter Steven Schwartz (0-1) taking the loss.
Temple hosts three games this weekend as part of the Villanova Baseball Bash beginning on Friday with Savannah State at 3 p.m. Albany and Fairfield will come to Ambler Field on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Weekend game times at 12 noon.
