Temple University Athletics
Temple Falls To Lehigh, 17-15, In Liberty Bell Slugfest
4.1.08 | Baseball
April 1, 2008
AMBLER, PA - If there was ever any question if all the bulbs worked in the scoreboard at Skip Wilson Field, those doubts can be put to rest. Lehigh and Temple combined for 30 runs and 32 hits in the Liberty Bell Classic semifinal, putting up crooked numbers in nearly every inning. When the final out was recorded three-and-a-half hours later, it was the Mountain Hawks who would advance to Citizens Bank Park with a 17-15 victory over the Owls.
It was almost fitting for an April Fools Day contest that the losing team would have 15 runs and 14 hits. Temple, however, left 13 men on base despite hitting .500 (10-for-20) with runners in scoring position. It was that kind of frustrating day for TU, who were denied a trip to Citizens Bank Park for the second straight year by Lehigh (13-15).
"I liked the way our hitters swung the bat," head coach Rob Valli said. "Playing from behind hurt us a bit, but the hitters hung in there and kept scoring runs. Unfortunately, we came up on the short side of a 17-15 game."
Neither starter got out of the third inning, with Temple chasing Mountain Hawk hurler Jim McConologue with a five-spot in the first. Sophomore Matt Heltz, who had three hits and tied a career-high with six RBI, blasted a three-run homerun in the inning.
Scoring with two outs proved to be the name of the game, with Lehigh outscoring Temple, 10-6 in that situation. Despite making three errors, 14 of Lehigh's 17 runs were earned.
All but one Owl had at least a hit in the team's highest scoring output since losing 21-17 at Duquesne on May 12, 2007. Junior Jamie Abercrombie had two hits and three RBI, and freshman Byron McKoy, junior Mark Ortega and junior Carmen Del Mastro all had two hits and a RBI.
After scoring five in the first, Temple allowed Lehigh to tie it up with five runs in the second. The Mountain Hawks took a 9-5 lead in the third with four runs, three coming on a triple by Billy Swenson. The Cherry and White took a 10-9 advantage after three full innings with a five-run frame.
Senior Mike Kelch and Abercrombie had RBI singles in the inning while McKoy's two-out double gave Temple its last lead of the game.
The middle innings were relatively quiet, with Lehigh (13-15) scoring two runs in the sixth to retake the lead for the final time. The Mountain Hawks made it 14-10 in the seventh, but after trailing by four runs for the second time in the game, the Owls rallied.
Heltz drove in a pair of runs, both unearned, to cut the deficit to 14-12, but the hosts could not push any more runs across, despite having runners on first and second and one out. The scoring wouldn't cease just yet, as Lehigh plated three two-out runs in the eighth, to take its third lead of at least four runs.
Temple's bats just wouldn't quit, scoring three unearned runs in the eighth to bring the score to 17-15. Senior Stan Orzechowski, Heltz and Ortega had RBI singles in the frame but with the tying run on second, the Owls were unable to score the equalizer.
Andrew Grimm (1-1) earned the win for the Mountain Hawks by throwing 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. Andrew Berger picked up his second save by throwing the final 1.2 innings without allowing a run. Liam O'Connor had four hits and three RBI for Lehigh.
Freshman Jordan Cannon suffered the loss to fall to 1-2. He allowed two earned runs in two innings.
The Owls return to the diamond on Wednesday when they host Rider at 3 PM. Live video streaming will be available via OwlAccess for the contest. Sophomore Mike Click will start for the Cherry and White.
NOTES: Lehigh is making its fourth Liberty Bell Classic finals appearance in the past five years. It will play the winner of Delaware-Lafayette on Tuesday, April 8...The Mountain Hawks beat Temple, 11-4, in last year's LBC Semifinals...Temple had only two 1-2-3 innings in the game--coming in the first and ninth...The first five innings were played in drizzle, before the sun broke through for the remainder of the game...In Temple's last three losses, the winning pitcher has been a southpaw...Del Mastro has stolen seven straight bases.
