Temple University Athletics
Tuesday, April 6
Skip Wilson Field
3:00 p.m.
Temple University
12
vs
13
Lehigh
Tony Jusino
Ninth Inning Rally Halted As Baseball Edged By Lehigh, 13-12
4.6.10 | Baseball
Owls strand two in ninth, nearly complete comeback
Box Score
AMBLER, Pa. – The Temple baseball team rallied to come within one in the ninth, but could not plate the tying run on third, falling to Lehigh 13-12 in the first game of the Liberty Bell Classic, Tuesday afternoon at Skip Wilson Field. Senior Tony Jusino supplied the run production for the Owls, going three-for-five with two doubles and four RBI.
Both teams used six or more pitchers to get through the contest. Redshirt-senior Matt Mongiardini got the nod for Temple, throwing two innings and allowing three runs. Senior Matt Blackburn (0-2) took the loss, giving up three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of work.
Lehigh threw Ken Longernecker to start, allowing him to go three innings giving up three runs. Sean Killeen (1-1) took over in the seventh with the lead, throwing 1.2 innings and giving up one run.
The Owls answered Lehigh's run in the first with two in the bottom of the frame. Sophomore Jabair Khan (3-4, HR, RBI) led off the game with a walk, advancing to third on a double from Jusino. Junior Ryan Ferguson singled home Khan, while Jusino would score on a sacrifice fly from redshirt-sophomore Steve Nikorak (2-4, 2 RBI, 2B).
Two in the second and three more in the third for Lehigh would put the defecit at 6-2, but the Owls would battle back.
Temple posted back-to-back one run innings in the third on a homer from Khan and an RBI-single from freshman David Hall in the fourth to bring the score to 7-4.
Nikorak did more damage in the fifth, bringing a run in on an RBI-double to left and scoring on single by junior Byron McKoy, edging closer to Lehigh's tally at 7-6.
The visitors were not held quiet for long, capitalizing on a TU error to plate two runs in the sixth. Temple answered in the bottom half, as Hall sparked the rally with a double, advancing on a bunt single from Khan and scoring on Jusino's second double of the day.
Khan and Jusino came around to score on a single from junior Adrian Perez (4-5, 2 RBI), completely surmounting the deficit to tie the game at 9-9.
Lehigh got the edge in the seventh, scoring three runs on four hits. In the bottom of the inning, Jusino singled in his third and fourth RBI's of the day to cut the lead to one run.
The Mountain Hawks manufactured one run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth, giving themselves a two run lead heading into the final three outs.
Junior Ben Flanary led off the Temple ninth with a single, being pinch run for by sophomore Foster Dunigan. Momentum continued to favor the Owls, as Khan ripped a single into left to advance Dunigan to third. A throwing error by Lehigh's Brandon Sady plated Dunigan, moved the tying run in the form of Khan to third. After a walk to Perez, Sady forced Ferguson to ground out to halt the comeback.
Temple is now 3-20 on the season, while Lehigh moves to 9-15.
The Owls are back in action Wednesday, traveling to compete against La Salle at 3:00 p.m.
AMBLER, Pa. – The Temple baseball team rallied to come within one in the ninth, but could not plate the tying run on third, falling to Lehigh 13-12 in the first game of the Liberty Bell Classic, Tuesday afternoon at Skip Wilson Field. Senior Tony Jusino supplied the run production for the Owls, going three-for-five with two doubles and four RBI.
Both teams used six or more pitchers to get through the contest. Redshirt-senior Matt Mongiardini got the nod for Temple, throwing two innings and allowing three runs. Senior Matt Blackburn (0-2) took the loss, giving up three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of work.
Lehigh threw Ken Longernecker to start, allowing him to go three innings giving up three runs. Sean Killeen (1-1) took over in the seventh with the lead, throwing 1.2 innings and giving up one run.
The Owls answered Lehigh's run in the first with two in the bottom of the frame. Sophomore Jabair Khan (3-4, HR, RBI) led off the game with a walk, advancing to third on a double from Jusino. Junior Ryan Ferguson singled home Khan, while Jusino would score on a sacrifice fly from redshirt-sophomore Steve Nikorak (2-4, 2 RBI, 2B).
Two in the second and three more in the third for Lehigh would put the defecit at 6-2, but the Owls would battle back.
Temple posted back-to-back one run innings in the third on a homer from Khan and an RBI-single from freshman David Hall in the fourth to bring the score to 7-4.
Nikorak did more damage in the fifth, bringing a run in on an RBI-double to left and scoring on single by junior Byron McKoy, edging closer to Lehigh's tally at 7-6.
The visitors were not held quiet for long, capitalizing on a TU error to plate two runs in the sixth. Temple answered in the bottom half, as Hall sparked the rally with a double, advancing on a bunt single from Khan and scoring on Jusino's second double of the day.
Khan and Jusino came around to score on a single from junior Adrian Perez (4-5, 2 RBI), completely surmounting the deficit to tie the game at 9-9.
Lehigh got the edge in the seventh, scoring three runs on four hits. In the bottom of the inning, Jusino singled in his third and fourth RBI's of the day to cut the lead to one run.
The Mountain Hawks manufactured one run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth, giving themselves a two run lead heading into the final three outs.
Junior Ben Flanary led off the Temple ninth with a single, being pinch run for by sophomore Foster Dunigan. Momentum continued to favor the Owls, as Khan ripped a single into left to advance Dunigan to third. A throwing error by Lehigh's Brandon Sady plated Dunigan, moved the tying run in the form of Khan to third. After a walk to Perez, Sady forced Ferguson to ground out to halt the comeback.
Temple is now 3-20 on the season, while Lehigh moves to 9-15.
The Owls are back in action Wednesday, traveling to compete against La Salle at 3:00 p.m.
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