Temple University Athletics
BASEBALL HOLDS ON FOR SPLIT WITH UMASS
5.7.05 | Baseball
AMBLER, PA -- Senior Mike Weckenman scattered six hits and did not allow an earned run in seven innings as Temple salvaged a split against Massachusetts with a 6-4 victory in the nightcap of an Atlantic 10 doubleheader. The bottom of the Owl lineup drove in five of the six runs, including two-run doubles from senior Matt Lafferty and Frank Nunan. UMass took game one, 5-0, behind a dominant performance from right-hander Matt Torra.
The Cherry and White (11-29, 4-13 A-10) got on the board in the second inning of game two. Sophomore Dan Brady and Lafferty singled to open the frame and Nunan was plunked on a 3-1 pitch to load the bases. Freshman Tom Dolan lofted a sacrifice fly to left for the first run and senior Justin Cooper singled in Nunan for a 2-0 lead.
A pair of two-run doubles from Lafferty and Nunan put TU ahead 6-0 in the fourth. The hosts could have had two more runs, but Nunan was thrown out at home trying to score on a Dolan single to right and Dolan, after advancing to third on a failed pickoff attempt, was stranded.
Weckenman had a three-hitter going into the sixth but the floodgates opened in the inning. UMass (10-30, 4-13) scored four runs in the frame, all unearned, thanks to three Temple errors. The seventh inning was almost as interesting, but the hard-throwing senior got out of a bases loaded, one out jam with a lineout and a strikeout. Weckenman fanned five batters to even his record at 2-2.
Lafferty and senior Jason Connor each had a pair of hits for the Owls.
Jeremy Demers allowed six earned runs in 2.1 innings pitched to fall to 1-8 for UMass.
With a crowd of 25 scouts watching game one, Torra showed why he is the frontrunner for A-10 Pitcher of the Year honors. The junior faced 22 batters, just one over the minimum, and scattered three hits in a 56-pitch gem. He struck out eight batters and mixed a mid-90s fastball with a devastating curve to improve to 4-3.
Junior Tim Foulkrod pitched well once again, but did not receive much run support. The right-hander allowed three earned runs in his sixth complete game but falls to 4-6.
The two teams will wrap up their three-game series with a nine-inning contest on Sunday at noon at Ambler Field.
