Temple University Athletics
ABERCROMBIE'S GAME-WINNER PROPELS TEMPLE PAST LONG ISLAND, 7-6
3.17.06 | Baseball
AMBLER, PA -- Freshman Jamie Abercrombie singled home the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to propel Temple past Long Island, 7-6, on Friday at Ambler Field. After watching a 6-2 lead vanish in the top of the frame, the Owls rallied to plate the deciding run before the game was called due to darkness immediately following Abercrombie's single.
With darkness quickly approaching, the final inning was a chess match between the two head coaches. Temple's Rob Valli sent a pair of pinch hitters to the plate only to have LIU skipper Don Maines, who spent 14 years at Drexel, answer by intentionally walking them.
Senior Marc Wagner doubled down the leftfield line to open the frame and was replaced at second by pinch-runner Carmen Del Mastro. Pinch-hitter Mike Sweet was intentionally walked and junior Josh Wernick put down a sacrifice bunt to give the Owls second and third with one out. Pinch-hitter Steve Mury was also intentionally walked to set the stage for Abercrombie. The lefty took a fastball and drove it in between the LIU shortstop and third baseman to give the hosts its first walk-off win of the season.
"Wags put us in a great position right off the bat," Abercrombie said. "I just went up there with a better approach than my earlier at-bats, got a fastball early in the count and fortunately was able to get the job done."
Temple (5-8) was comfortably ahead 6-2 after six full innings, but the Blackbirds scored four runs on the back of four walks to tie the game. Bases on balls were a reoccurring theme during the game, as the two teams combined to issue 16 free passes.
The Cherry and White scored two runs in the second, third and fourth innings take a 6-2 lead after four. A Wagner sacrifice fly scored junior Dan Brady, who had walked, for the game's first run. Sophomore Lucio Rainelli doubled to right field to give Temple a 2-0 lead.
Long Island (1-7-1) answered with a run off starter Carl Taylor in the third. Sophomore Frank Nunan singled and Brady doubled to start the inning. Freshman Lenny DelGrippo reached on an error by the LIU shortstop and drove in Nunan. Brady then scored on a Wernick walk.
Walks to Abercrombie and freshman Pat Riley gave the Owls first and second with no outs in the fourth. After a sacrifice bunt by Nunan, a RBI single from Brady and a RBI double from DelGrippo gave Temple a 6-2 cushion.
"It was good to see us come back after losing that lead," Abercrombie said. "Hopefully it will give us some momentum heading into the rest of the weekend."
Brady and Nunan each had two hits for Temple. Sophomore Rob Licata earned the victory, while LIU's Pete Orsi suffered the loss despite allowing just one earned run in three innings.
The game was the first of three in the Villanova Baseball Bash. Temple hosts Saint Peter's on Saturday at noon at Ambler Field. Live statistics will be available via GameTracker.
