Temple University Athletics
OWLS SPLIT WITH ST. JOE'S, EARN FIRST A-10 SERIES WIN
4.24.05 | Baseball
NORRISTOWN, PA -- Coming out on both sides of late inning rallies, the Temple baseball team split a doubleheader with Saint Joseph's on Sunday afternoon at Latshaw-McCarthy Field. Senior Mike Weckenman took a no-hitter into the sixth but the Owls lost a 4-0 lead in the last two innings and fell, 5-4, in the completion of Saturday's suspended game. In the nightcap, SJU rallied from a 7-2 deficit to tie the game in the eighth only to see TU rally for four runs in the ninth to win 11-7 and earn its first A-10 series victory of the season.
Weckenman (1-2) showed no side effects of coming back from throwing two innings on Saturday and did not allow a hit until the sixth inning. He struck out a career-high 11 batters but suffered the defeat as the Hawks (11-24, 6-6 A-10) scored five runs in the last two innings. Senior Tim Foulkrod, who earned the win on Saturday, came in with two outs in the seventh but his wild pitch sailed by senior catcher Matt Lafferty and allowed Andrew Heineman to score the game-winner.
Temple (10-23, 3-9 A-10) managed only four hits off SJU starter Ryan Hoagey (3-4) but scored four runs and appeared to be cruising to victory. The Owls scored three runs in the fourth with two outs to take a 3-0 lead. Sophomore Dan Brady doubled in Weckenman, who had walked, and later scored on a Lafferty RBI-single. Freshman Frank Nunan, who went 5-for-8 with three doubles and five RBI in the series, doubled home Lafferty for the inning's third run.
Nunan drove in TU's fourth and final run of the game in the sixth with a sacrifice fly to plate Weckenman, who had doubled.
Jeremy Jakubowski broke up Weckenman's no-hit bid in the sixth and St. Joe's scored three runs in the inning, all with two outs. The two runs in the seventh also came with two away.
In Sunday's second game, Temple opened up a 7-2 lead in the fifth. Weckenman and senior Pete Colon hit back-to-back homers in the fifth to give freshman starter Tom Dolan a five-run lead. Unfortunately, the Hawks got to Dolan in the fifth, scoring three runs to chase the southpaw.
Sophomore Chris McCafferty pitched well in relief, throwing three innings of shutout baseball until SJU got to him in the eighth. The Hawks scored two runs, none of which were earned thanks to a pair of Owl errors, to tie the game at 7-7.
Temple answered in the ninth to secure its first Atlantic 10 series victory of the season. Lafferty doubled with one out and scored the eventual game-winning run on Nunan's single up the middle. TU went on to score three more runs, in part due to a trio of SJU miscues.
McCafferty improved to 2-5 by scattering three hits in 4.2 innings pitched and not allowing an earned run. Jeff Williams (3-3) took the loss, despite striking out five batters in four innings.
The Cherry and White banged out 16 hits, including three each from Cooper, Nunan and senior Harry Ley. Nine of Temple's 16 safeties went for extra bases.
TU returns to the diamond on Wednesday in a non-conference contest with Villanova at Ambler Field. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.
