Temple University Athletics
CONNOR'S WALK-OFF HOMERUN HELPS TEMPLE SPLIT WITH ALBANY
3.19.05 | Baseball
AMBLER, PA -- Senior Jason Connor hit a three-run walk-off homerun with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to propel Temple to a 5-4 come from behind win over visiting Albany in the opener of a doubleheader on Saturday. The Owls also mounted a comeback in the nightcap but fell short in an 8-7 loss to the Great Danes at Ambler Field during the second day of the Villanova Baseball Bash. Sunday's game with Fairfield has been cancelled due to inclement weather predicted to hit the area.
Trailing 4-1 with two outs in the seventh against Albany (2-4) closer Shawn Ryan, the outlook was not bright for the Temple (6-8) baseball team. Senior Justin Cooper reached on an error by UA second baseman Sean Donovan to keep the inning and game alive. After Cooper and senior Pete Colon, who had singled, advanced on a passed ball, senior Gene Burpoe lined an RBI single to leftfield to make the score 4-2.
Connor then picked a perfect time for his first round-tripper of the season. The Collegeville, Pa. native, who blasted a team-high eight homers last season, launched a moon-shot over the left-field fence to give Temple a 5-4 win.
Junior Tim Foulkrod earned the win to improve to 3-0. He pitched all seven innings, allowed five hits and struck out five. After giving up two-run homers in the first and second innings, the reigning A-10 Co-Pitcher of the Week settled down and retired 12 of the next 13 batters.
The Owls scored their first run in the fifth as Cooper (2-for-4) knocked in freshman Tom Dolan. Colon also had two hits for TU and now has 99 for his career.
Steve Sayre and Rashad Barksdale both socked two-run homers for Albany. Ryan earned the loss, even though all three runs he allowed were unearned. Kyle Thomas (6.1 IP, 1 ER) started and threw well for the Great Danes but was credited with the no-decision.
The momentum from game one carried over to the nightcap, as the Cherry and White scored three runs in the bottom of the first. Senior Mike Weckenman hit the first of two doubles in the game to drive home Cooper with the game's first run. After a strikeout, sophomore Dan Brady lined a two-run single to right-center to give TU a 3-0 lead.
Unfortunately, the advantage was short-lived. Albany scored five runs (two earned) on just two hits in the second off Temple starter Chris McCafferty (1-3). Freshman Steve Develin got out of a bases loaded jam in the inning, but the Great Danes added three more in the third to take a 8-3 lead.
But as has been its mantra all season long, Temple battled back, scoring six unanswered runs to make the game interesting. Connor doubled and scored as the Albany centerfielder couldn't handle a pop fly off the bat of Brady in the fifth to make the score 8-4.
Develin settled down, and along with senior Chris Hamilton and freshman Eric Fritz, kept the Owls in the ballgame as the TU bullpen tossed four innings of shutout relief.
The Owls erupted for three in the sixth inning to draw within one run. Colon singled to open the inning and sophomore Nick Fasano walked. After a sacrifice bunt by Cooper, pinch-hitter Josh Wernick drove in Colon with a groundout. Junior Jason Adamek, pinch-running for Fasano, scored on a wild pitch and Weckenman doubled home Connor, who had walked, to cut the deficit to 8-7.
Temple had a chance to tie or win the game in the seventh but came up just short. Brady was hit by a pitch to leadoff the inning and advanced to second on a Dolan sacrifice bunt. With one out, he moved to third on a wild pitch but back-to-back foul outs ended the game.
Weckenman was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI, while Connor added two hits and scored three runs.
Jeff Mazzola (5 IP, 3 ER, 4 SO) earned the win for Albany and Alexander Beauliu worked out of trouble in the ninth to record the save. Rich Northcup was 3-for-4 for UA.
With Sunday's contest with Fairfield cancelled, the Owls will wait until Tuesday to return to the diamond. The Cherry and White visit Maryland-Eastern Shore at 3 p.m.
