Temple University Athletics
Bats Come Alive In 15-6 Win Over Villanova
4.21.09 | Baseball
April 21, 2009
AMBLER, PA - Temple recorded a season-high 21 hits and received a strong outing on the mound from winning pitcher Mike Click to defeat Philadelphia Big Five rival Villanova, 15-6, on Tuesday at Skip Wilson Field. Senior Sean Barksdale and sophomore Byron McKoy each had four hits for the Owls.
Click (1-1) entered the game in the third and finished the contest, pitching a career-best seven innings and allowing one earned run. He struck out a career-best seven batters and lowered his ERA to 5.75. The junior retired 10 straight at one point and 16 of the final 18 batters he faced.
"That was the best Mike has pitched for us in his career," head coach Rob Valli said. "We hope he can really help us down the stretch."
Barksdale and McKoy combined for eight singles and were on base all but twice in 12 plate appearances. Barksdale drove in two more runs and has 144 for his career, just three short of former major leaguer John Marzano in second place. Pete Dempsey holds the record with 154 RBI.
Two more Owls -- senior Lenny DelGrippo and freshman Foster Dunigan - had three hits each.
Dunigan, who has started the past four games in place of injured 2B Carmen Del Mastro, has hit .500 (5-for-10) during that span.
"Foster certainly made the most of his opportunity to play," Valli said. "He has been aggressive at the plate and it has showed."
Seniors Kyle Obal and Mark Ortega each had two hits for the Cherry and White, which raised its team average from .310 to a season-best .315.
The 21 hits for the Owls were the most in Valli's four seasons as head coach and the 15 runs are the most in a mid-week game since falling at George Mason, 18-16, on May 2, 2007.
Temple scored 13 runs in its first three innings, sending 10 batters to the plate in a five-run first and 13 in an eight-run third inning.
In the opening frame, the Owls took advantage of three hits, three walks, and a hit batter to take a 5-0 lead. Barksdale and Dunigan had RBI in the inning, while Ortega and freshman Taylor Juran plated runs on a bases-loaded walk and hit by pitch, respectively. Obal scored on a wild pitch.
Villanova (18-19) tied the game with two in the second and three in the third, but the hosts put together an eight-run inning to open up a 13-5 lead. Singles by Obal and Ortega led off the frame and DelGrippo was hit by a pitch the load the bases.
Juran then grounded to first where Kyle Carver decided to throw home to try to force Obal at the plate. The throw was wild and allowed Obal to slide in safely. Dunigan then singled home a run and senior Jamie Abercrombie doubled home two to make it 10-6.
McKoy followed with a RBI single and singles by Barksdale and Obal kept the inning alive. Ortega's RBI double completed the scoring in the inning.
The offense was quiet for the rest of the contest, adding only single runs in the fourth and sixth. Dunigan reached on an error to lead off the fourth and scored when Barksdale's groundball to shortstop was mishandled. In the sixth, Barksdale singled home Abercrombie, who reached on a fielder's choice.
David Koczirka and Adam Nelson each had two hits for Villanova. Will Hebard (0-1) suffered the loss for the Wildcats after allowing seven runs (five earned) in 1.2 innings.
Temple (15-20) hosts Xavier on Friday at 3 PM in the first game of an Atlantic 10 series.
NOTES: Temple batted .450 (9-for-20) with runners in scoring position...The 21 hits is the most for the Owls at Skip Wilson Field...The facility record is 35 hits by Monmouth (March 29, 2006)...Abercrombie is now alone in eighth-place with 40 career doubles.
