Temple University Athletics
Wild Comeback Ties Game, But Owls Fall to SLU, 12-11
5.8.09 | Baseball
May 8, 2009
AMBLER, PA - Temple rallied from a 9-1 deficit to tie the score in the seventh, only to fall when Saint Louis scored three runs in the ninth to beat the Owls, 12-9, on a wild Friday afternoon at Skip Wilson Field. Senior Sean Barksdale, who had three hits and drove in four, set a new Temple record for career RBI, breaking the 31-year old record of 154 set by Pete Dempsey in 1978.
Barksdale's four RBI give him 157 for his illustrious career, and his two-out, two-run single in the seventh tied the game at 9-9. He wasn't the only record setter for the Owls.
Senior Jamie Abercrombie had a pair of doubles, giving him 20 for the season, and knocked in two. He is now tied with Mike Palys (1989) and Stan Orzechowski (2007) for the single season record at TU. The Owls had five two-base hits on the day and 122 this season, breaking the previous team record of 117 set in 2007.
But the Cherry and White would certainly have traded in the records for a victory in the tight A-10 playoff race. Despite the loss, the Owls remain in fifth place with a 11-10 conference record--a half-game ahead of sixth-place UMass and Fordham (11-11).
Saint Louis (25-24, 9-12) scored four runs in the first, three coming on back-to-back homers by Ben Braaten and Tom Pinnell. The lead extended to 9-1 with another run in the second and four more in the fourth to chase TU starter Ryan Thomas.
Despite the deficit, the Owls continued to chip away. Senior Lenny DelGrippo hit his fourth homer of the season to dead center in the fourth and Barksdale singled home a run in the fifth to make it 9-3. An Abercrombie double and Barksdale's record breaking RBI single in the sixth cut the SLU lead to 9-5.
It was a four-run seventh that turned the blowout into a ballgame. Back-to-back doubles by junior Tony Jusino (four hits) and senior Kyle Obal kick started the frame and consecutive walks to senior Mark Ortega and DelGrippo loaded the bases.
Abercrombie was hit by a pitch and after a strikeout, Barksdale drove in two runs on his single up the middle to tie the game.
While the Owls offense got the team back into the game, it was the pitching of Mike Click that shut down the Saint Louis offense. Click, who has been the top TU pitcher over the past month, scattered three hits in his next 4.1 innings without allowing a run. He suffered the hard-luck loss however, when his walk to lead-off the ninth ended up scoring the go-ahead run.
Temple had a chance to go-ahead in the eighth when Jusino led off the inning with another double and Obal bunted him to third. Unfortunately, the Owls were unable to plate the run.
SLU led off the ninth with two walks. After a passed ball and a pop-up, Temple chose to try to intentionally walk pinch hitter David Blackwell with runners on second and third. But the third pitch of the attempt flew over the catcher's head to give the Billikens a 10-9 lead.
A walk, bloop single and sacrifice fly gave the visitors a 12-9 advantage heading into the bottom of the inning.
A senior Carmen Del Mastro walked was sandwiched by a pair of outs, leaving the hosts down to their last out. But sophomore Byron McKoy homered to right center, his eighth of the season, to cut the deficit to 12-11. The Owls continued to make it interesting as Jusino singled and Obal was hit by a pitch to put the tying run at second.
It would stay there, however, as Temple would fall for the eighth time in its past nine contests.
Saint Louis reliever Dave Sever (5-4) earned the win, allowing two earned runs in 2.2 innings of relief.
The series continues on Saturday at 1 PM. The game will be broadcast by OwlAccess.
