Temple University Athletics
Late Inning Heroics Give Temple 8-7 Win Over Monmouth
3.24.09 | Baseball
March 24, 2009
AMBLER, PA - Junior Tony Jusino drove in the go-ahead run and senior Lenny Del Grippo provided a much-needed insurance run to break a tie score in the eighth and give Temple an 8-7 win over Monmouth on Tuesday at Skip Wilson Field. Senior Carmen Del Mastro had three hits for the Owls, who have won six of their last seven games.
With the score tied at 6-6, Del Mastro led off the eighth with a bunt base hit and moved to third on senior Sean Barksdale's double. Monmouth chose to intentionally walk senior Kyle Obal, who leads the team with 21 RBI, to face Jusino with no outs.
The lefthander lined a ball down the right field line to score Del Mastro to give the hosts a 7-6 lead. It looked as though the Owls would squander the bases loaded, no-out situation after failing to get another run across until Del Grippo, facing his first at-bat of the game as a pinch hitter, came to the plate.
Del Grippo lined a 0-1 pitch into right to score Obal and put Temple up 8-6. The extra run proved to be needed when the Hawks rallied in the ninth.
Junior Matt Blackburn, who got the win to improve to 2-0, ran into trouble in the ninth but was able to close the door. After recording the first out of the inning on a pop-up, back-to-back doubles by Nick Pulsonetti and Paul Bottigliero cut the deficit to 8-7 and put the tying run in scoring position.
Blackburn induced a pop-up to shortstop and fly-out to right to end the game and preserve Temple's fourth straight victory.
Four Owls had two hits, including reigning Philadelphia Big Five Player of the Week Jamie Abercrombie. Barksdale, Obal and freshman Jabair Khan also had a pair of base knocks.
Temple rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the middle innings. A pair of errors gave TU an unearned run in the fifth and a two-out, two-run single by Barksdale cut the deficit to 5-4 in the sixth. In that inning, with Barksdale on first and Del Mastro on second, the Owls attempted a double steal to perfection.
Both runners were safe and when the catcher's throw sailed into leftfield, Del Mastro trotted home with the tying run. Obal followed with a RBI single to give Temple its first lead of the game.
Blackburn earned the win after allowing two earned runs in three innings. Junior Kyle Monahan pitched a scoreless inning in relief of freshman Tyler Horst, who was making his first collegiate start.
Nick McNamara (0-2) suffered the loss for Monmouth (7-9) after allowing two earned runs in two innings. Ryan Terry had four hits to pace the Hawks.
Temple (8-10) is back in action on Wednesday when it hosts Penn State at 3 PM.
NOTES: The win was Temple's first in the three meetings between the schools since 2006...Barksdale has hit safely in 11 straight games...The Owls have four players batting better than .400 with runners in scoring position--Barksdale, Del Mastro, Obal and Mark Ortega...DelGrippo's pinch hit was Temple's second of the season.
