Temple University Athletics
Niagara Ninth-Inning Rally Downs Temple, 5-3
3.14.09 | Baseball
March 14, 2009
AMBLER, PA - Niagara shortstop Jason Cramer launched a two-run home run in the ninth inning as part of a four-run frame to give the Purple Eagles a 5-3 victory over Temple on Saturday at Skip Wilson Field. The Owls took a 2-1 lead, their first of the game, on a junior Tony Jusino two-out double in the eighth but was unable to hold the advantage.
Neither team could muster much offense in the early going as a pair of former high school teammates kept the hitters guessing. Niagara's Joe Candelmo and Temple's Dan Moller, teammates at Parkland High School last season, went head to head for most of the contest. Moller relived senior starter Matt Mongiardini, who threw three scoreless innings, in the fourth.
The Purple Eagles got on the board with a run in the fifth to take a 1-0 lead. It would be the only run that Moller would allow until the ninth as the freshman was especially impressive in the later innings. After that fifth inning run, Moller retired 11 of the next 13 batters before running to some trouble in the ninth.
The Cherry and White could not solve Candelmo as the rookie southpaw scattered just five hits in seven plus innings. He was saddled with one earned run when the Owls took a 2-1 lead in the eighth.
Senior Sean Barksdale reached on a two-out fielder's choice, stole second and then scored on classmate Kyle Obal's single to center to tie the score. Obal moved to second on a wild pitch and then crossed the plate when Jusino ripped a double into the right-centerfield gap.
The lead turned out to be short lived. Cramer's dinger put the visitors on top 3-2 in the ninth and the Purple Eagles added a pair of insurance runs before sophomore reliever Jordan Cannon ended the rally.
Temple made some noise in the bottom of the ninth and ended the game with the tying run on first. Senior Jamie Abercrombie led off with a double, his team-high sixth of the season, and moved to third on a fly-out. After a strikeout, senior Carmen Del Mastro singled him home to make it 5-3 and Barksdale followed with a single to put runners on first and second. But the Owls would come up short in the comeback attempt and fell for the eighth straight contest.
Sophomore Byron McKoy, Barksdale and Jusino all had two hits for Temple.
Moller (0-3) suffered the loss for the Owls (2-9) after allowing five runs (four earned) in 5.1 innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Mark Sikorski (2-1) picked up the victory for Niagara. He surrendered one earned run in 0.2 innings and Dennis Chachko recorded his second save of the season by pitching the ninth.
Cramer had three hits and two RBI to lead the Purple Eagles (3-10).
Temple returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Cleveland State at 1 PM.
NOTES: Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw served as the head coach of Niagara in the early 1970s...Del Mastro's hitting streak has reached 13 games...Abercrombie is now tied for 14th all-time with 176 career hits...Barksdale has moved into tenth placed all-time in stolen bases with 44...Temple leads the all-time series, 2-1, with Niagara...Today's game was the first meeting since 1981.
