Temple University Athletics
Late Long-Ball Dooms Owls In 5-3 Loss To Fordham
4.6.07 | Softball
April 6, 2007
BRONX, NY - The Temple softball team (6-13, 2-2), under the direction of second-year head coach Casey Dickson, dropped its second decision in as many days following a 5-3 loss to Fordham (24-12, 8-0) Friday morning. Senior Adrienne Repsher tied the game in the top half of the sixth inning with a two-run homerun before the Rams tallied two go-ahead runs in the bottom of the frame.
Junior Brianna Dairy made her fourth start in the circle for Dickson before lasting a season-best 3.2 innings. The right-hander surrendered three runs, none earned, on five hits en route to the no-decision. Freshman Nicole Ayres (10-2) captured her second win in as many days after tossing six innings and allowing two earned runs.
The Atlantic 10's first place Rams initiated the game's scoring with one run in the first then two more in the fourth. Dairy held the hosts at bay before junior Allison Storc's RBI single and sophomore Gina Capardi's run-scoring ground-out supplied Fordham with a three-run cushion. True freshman hurler Ashley Smuda (5-7) came on in relief in the fourth, but both tallies were charged to Dairy.
After going scoreless through four frames, the Cherry and White cut into the Rams' lead following junior Anna Rico's RBI single down the leftfield line that scored junior Natalie Wagner.
The Temple momentum hit another gear after Smuda sent the Rams down in order in the bottom half of the fifth. After senior Jessica Rohn reached base on an error to lead-off the sixth, Repsher yanked her team-leading sixth homerun of the season over the rightfield wall. One day removed from toppling the Temple all-time homerun record, Repsher's clutch long-ball set the game's stage for the final frame.
However, the Owls' bid to hand Fordham their first conference loss this season came up empty after sophomore Melissa Andrews' eventual game-winning two-run homerun in the bottom of the sixth. Senior Sara Kinney pitched a scoreless seventh in tallying her third save.
The Owls will waste no time in looking snap their two-game skid with a doubleheader at George Washington set for tomorrow. The Cherry and White, playing their 20th and 21st road contests of the season, clash with the Colonials in game one at noon.
