Temple University Athletics
Owls Complete Series Sweep of Duquesne With 17-5 Win
3.22.09 | Baseball
March 22, 2009
AMBLER, PA - Temple recorded season-highs in hits and runs to complete the series sweep of Duquesne with a 17-5 win on Sunday at Skip Wilson Field. Senior Jamie Abercrombie led the 18-hit attack with four base knocks, including two doubles, while classmates Sean Barksdale and Kyle Obal each added three.
The Cherry and White swept the season opening series in conference play for the second straight season and is in a tie for first place in the Atlantic 10 with Xavier, Dayton and Saint Joseph's after one weekend. Last year, the Owls took three at Rhode Island on their way to a program record 16 conference wins.
Abercrombie set the tone for Temple (7-10, 3-0 A-10) at the plate, reaching base in his first four plate appearances and five times overall. He leads the team with a .387 batting average and 11 doubles and with his four hits today, moved into eighth place on the all-time hit list with 186, passing former major leaguer Bobby Higginson (184, 1989-92).
Barksdale finished off a weekend in which he batted .571 against the Dukes with three singles, increasing his hitting streak to 10 games. Obal drove in two runs with his three hits and now leads the team with 19 RBI.
But the offense certainly did not stop with the senior trio. Remarkably, 10 of the 11 Owls who stepped to the plate during the game had at least one hit, while nine scored at least one run. The hosts batted .380 during the three-game sweep and averaged just over 10 runs per game.
Sophomore Ryan Ferguson added two hits and two RBI, including a double in the eighth, while freshman Jabair Khan also collected his first collegiate hit with a bunt single in the eighth.
Junior Ryan Thomas, who closed on Friday, started and pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs to improve to 2-1. Sophomore Jordan Cannon, who has not allowed an earned run in nine innings and five appearances, pitched four scoreless for his first collegiate save.
A three-run second inning gave the Owls the lead for good at 4-1. Sophomore Byron McKoy had a two-out, two-run single in the frame.
Temple scored two runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings to extend the lead to 10-4. The Owls added seven in the eighth, its biggest inning of the season, to reach the 17 run total. It is the most runs scored by TU since beating Delaware, 18-7, on March 27, 2007 and the most in an A-10 game since setting the school record in a 29-12 victory over Xavier on March 24, 2001.
Sophomore Ben Flanary had a three-run, bases-clearing double in the eighth, while Ferguson, Jusino and Abercrombie each drove in runs in the frame.
Johnny Elms (0-2) suffered the loss for Duquesne (3-18, 0-3) after allowing eight earned runs in 4.2 innings. Mike Carroll and Chris Kimmeth had two hits for the Dukes.
The Owls have won five of their last six games.
Temple returns to action as part of a nine-game homestand with a mid-week matchup against Monmouth on Tuesday at 3 PM.
