Temple University Athletics
TEMPLE SNAPS SKID WITH 5-4 WIN OVER LEHIGH
4.5.06 | Baseball
AMBLER, PA -- Freshman Casey Sellen provided the heroics on Wednesday, as his two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie and put the Owls on top for good in a 5-4 win over Lehigh at Ambler Field. Three Owls had multiple hits, including junior Dan Brady, sophomore Frank Nunan and sophomore Robbie DeRafelo. Eight pitchers saw action for the Cherry and White with freshman Joe McGilligan picking up the win.
With the game knotted at 3-3 in the sixth, sophomore Lucio Rainelli led off the inning with a walk. After a flyout, DeRafelo doubled to the wall in right-center to put runners on second and third with one out. With the infield drawn in, Sellen laced a line-drive just out of the reach of Lehigh shortstop Liam O'Connor to score two runs.
Lehigh (13-17) scored a single run in the seventh on a triple by Matt Geiger (3-for-5) but did not advance a runner past second base in the final two frames. Senior Justin Mendek pitched a scoreless ninth to record the save.
The Owls (7-19) sent eight pitchers to the bump, with only sophomore Eric Fritz throwing more than one inning. Junior starter Eric Lovelace, Fritz, McGilligan, freshman Marc Tankel, and Mendek all threw scoreless innings.
For the third time in their last four games, the Owls reached double-digits in hits with 11. Seven starters recorded at least one hit while DeRafelo picked up his first collegiate hit with a single down the rightfield line in the fourth inning.
Temple scored single runs in the first, second and third innings. A freshman Pat Riley RBI-single plated classmate Jamie Abercrombie in the first to give TU a 1-0 lead. Lehigh answered with two in the second, but Temple responded with an unearned run to tie the score.
The Mountain Hawks took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third, but it proved to be short-lived. Rainelli lofted a sacrifice-fly to deep right that scored Nunan to produce the game's third tie in three innings.
Brady extended his hitting streak to eight games and has raised his average from .288 to .341 in the past two weeks.
The win snapped a six-game losing streak for Temple.
The Cherry and White visit A-10 rival Fordham for a three-game series beginning on Friday. Live statistics and streaming audio will be available via owlsports.com.
