Temple University Athletics
TEMPLE RALLY COMES UP SHORT IN 5-4 LOSS TO CHARLOTTE
3.31.06 | Baseball
CHARLOTTE, NC -- Temple used a three-run seventh to draw within one run but couldn't plate the equalizer and dropped a 5-4 decision to Charlotte at Tom and Lib Phillips Field on Friday night. The Owls out-hit the 49ers, 14-11, with six players tallying at least two. The two teams will resume the series on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Trailing 5-1, Temple scored three runs with two outs to cut the deficit to one. Sophomore Frank Nunan started the rally with a bunt single and junior Dan Brady singled to right field. Freshman Lenny DelGrippo drove in a run with a RBI single to right and Brady then scored on a wild pitch to make the score 5-3. A RBI single by freshman Pat Riley plated DelGrippo to put the Owls within one.
The Cherry and White had a great chance to tie the game or take the lead in the eighth. Sophomore Lucio Rainelli led off the inning with a double and after a strikeout, sophomore Devon Swope walked. A single by freshman Jamie Abercrombie appeared to be enough to tie the score, but Rainelli was thrown out at the plate. Temple went down in order in the ninth to fall to 6-17 and 1-3 in the Atlantic 10.
Charlotte (19-8, 4-0) was playing its second conference series since joining the Atlantic 10 this summer. The preseason favorites gave starter Adam Mills (4-1) a 5-1 cushion after four innings, as a two-run single by Corey Lane provided some of the damage. Lane finished the day 3-for-4 to pace the 49er offense.
Senior starter Tim Foulkrod scattered 11 hits and allowed four earns runs to suffer the loss. He fanned five in eight innings of work. Swope, Abercrombie, Nunan, Brady, DelGrippo and Rainelli all had a pair of hits for Temple.
Mills struck out seven in 6.2 innings to pick up the win. Eric Walker pitched the final 1.1 innings to record the save.
The series resumes on Saturday as sophomore Arshwin Asjes (3-1, 0.93 ERA) looks to extend his scoreless inning streak, which currently stands at 26. Charlotte counters with Keith Moreland (4-0, 3.23). Live statistics and streaming audio will be available via owlsports.com.
