Temple University Athletics
Tuesday, March 22
Skip Wilson Field
3:00 p.m.
Temple University
6
vs
5
Monmouth
Cameron Green
Baseball Keeps Streak Alive With 6-5 Walk-Off Win Over Monmouth
3.22.11 | Baseball
Nikorak leads with three RBI, Green seals deal in ninth
Box Score | Postgame Interviews
AMBLER, Pa. - Temple needed some late game heroics to keep its win streak intact, pulling off a comeback that led to a walk-off single by junior Cameron Green to give the Diamond Owls a 6-5 win over Monmouth on Tuesday afternoon at Skip Wilson Field. Temple improves to 13-5 on the year, now owning a 10-game win streak which ranks fourth in the nation and is the program's best since an equivalent streak in 1985.
Green was clutch in the ninth, but it was another monster day at the plate from redshirt-junior Steve Nikorak that set the Owls up for victory. Nikorak, the reigning Atlantic 10, Philadelphia Big 5 and Owlsports.com Player of the Week, went four-for-five at the dish, driving in three runs on a pair of doubles to extend his hit streak to 11 games.
Temple utilized three hurlers to get through the day. Junior Tyler Horst gave the Owls four solid innings to start, allowing just two earned runs and scattering six hits. Freshman Zach Batchelor came on for Horst and lasted two innings, giving up three runs while striking out a pair. Redshirt-sophomore Steve Visnic (1-0) was the answer the Owls needed over the final three frames, allowing no runs and just two hits during the time.
A platoon of arms was put to use for the Hawks as well. John McDonald started and went four, giving up three runs on nine hits. Neil Harm (0-1) took the eventual loss for Monmouth, allowing the game-winning run to reach base in the ninth.
Monmouth (7-8) grabbed an early lead going up 1-0 in the top of the first, but Temple was quick to respond with two runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. Back-to-back singles by seniors Byron McKoy and Adrian Perez started things off, with senior Ryan Ferguson being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Nikorak scored two on a double to center, but MU's McDonald managed to stop the bleeding there.
Horst posted a pair of scoreless innings while the Owl's bats went back to work in the bottom of the third. Ferguson padded the Temple lead with one swing of the bat, crushing his team-leading fourth homer of the year to right that nearly connected with the scoreboard. He has now hit safely in all 18 games this year.
The Hawks came back with three consecutive scoring innings to regain the lead, tallying one in the fourth, two in the fifth and adding another in the sixth to retake the lead at 5-3. Monmouth held Temple scoreless over that stretch, but the drought would not last much longer for the Owls.
Ferguson led off the Temple seventh with a double down the right field line, scoring on Nikorak's eighth double of the year to the opposite side of the park. Sophomore Henry Knabe extending the inning by reaching base on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder, moving Nikorak to third. Both runners would move up on a passed ball, tying the game at 5-5 when Nikorak plated.
Temple went down in order in the bottom of the eighth, but Visnic, allowing a walk to the ninth inning leadoff hitter, sat down the next three MU hitters to set up the Owls' final frame heroics.
Nikorak ripped a one-out single to left to start the ninth inning rally. After Knabe flew out to right, freshman Will Remillard came up clutch with a two-out single up the middle, moving Nikorak to second. Sophomore Daniel Dragos, pinch hitting, drew a walk to load the bases. Green came up as the next batter and quickly fell behind in the count, but battled back to make it 2-2. He stepped in and ripped a liner into left to plate the game-winning run and give Temple the 6-5 decision.
The Owls, a perfect 7-0 at Skip Wilson Field, wrapped up the non-conference portion of their schedule and a nine-game stay in Philadelphia. Temple opens Atlantic 10 play this weekend, traveling to Xavier for a three-game series beginning March 25.
AMBLER, Pa. - Temple needed some late game heroics to keep its win streak intact, pulling off a comeback that led to a walk-off single by junior Cameron Green to give the Diamond Owls a 6-5 win over Monmouth on Tuesday afternoon at Skip Wilson Field. Temple improves to 13-5 on the year, now owning a 10-game win streak which ranks fourth in the nation and is the program's best since an equivalent streak in 1985.
Green was clutch in the ninth, but it was another monster day at the plate from redshirt-junior Steve Nikorak that set the Owls up for victory. Nikorak, the reigning Atlantic 10, Philadelphia Big 5 and Owlsports.com Player of the Week, went four-for-five at the dish, driving in three runs on a pair of doubles to extend his hit streak to 11 games.
Temple utilized three hurlers to get through the day. Junior Tyler Horst gave the Owls four solid innings to start, allowing just two earned runs and scattering six hits. Freshman Zach Batchelor came on for Horst and lasted two innings, giving up three runs while striking out a pair. Redshirt-sophomore Steve Visnic (1-0) was the answer the Owls needed over the final three frames, allowing no runs and just two hits during the time.
A platoon of arms was put to use for the Hawks as well. John McDonald started and went four, giving up three runs on nine hits. Neil Harm (0-1) took the eventual loss for Monmouth, allowing the game-winning run to reach base in the ninth.
Monmouth (7-8) grabbed an early lead going up 1-0 in the top of the first, but Temple was quick to respond with two runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. Back-to-back singles by seniors Byron McKoy and Adrian Perez started things off, with senior Ryan Ferguson being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Nikorak scored two on a double to center, but MU's McDonald managed to stop the bleeding there.
Horst posted a pair of scoreless innings while the Owl's bats went back to work in the bottom of the third. Ferguson padded the Temple lead with one swing of the bat, crushing his team-leading fourth homer of the year to right that nearly connected with the scoreboard. He has now hit safely in all 18 games this year.
The Hawks came back with three consecutive scoring innings to regain the lead, tallying one in the fourth, two in the fifth and adding another in the sixth to retake the lead at 5-3. Monmouth held Temple scoreless over that stretch, but the drought would not last much longer for the Owls.
Ferguson led off the Temple seventh with a double down the right field line, scoring on Nikorak's eighth double of the year to the opposite side of the park. Sophomore Henry Knabe extending the inning by reaching base on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder, moving Nikorak to third. Both runners would move up on a passed ball, tying the game at 5-5 when Nikorak plated.
Temple went down in order in the bottom of the eighth, but Visnic, allowing a walk to the ninth inning leadoff hitter, sat down the next three MU hitters to set up the Owls' final frame heroics.
Nikorak ripped a one-out single to left to start the ninth inning rally. After Knabe flew out to right, freshman Will Remillard came up clutch with a two-out single up the middle, moving Nikorak to second. Sophomore Daniel Dragos, pinch hitting, drew a walk to load the bases. Green came up as the next batter and quickly fell behind in the count, but battled back to make it 2-2. He stepped in and ripped a liner into left to plate the game-winning run and give Temple the 6-5 decision.
The Owls, a perfect 7-0 at Skip Wilson Field, wrapped up the non-conference portion of their schedule and a nine-game stay in Philadelphia. Temple opens Atlantic 10 play this weekend, traveling to Xavier for a three-game series beginning March 25.
Ep. 4: Temple Athletics Weekly Recap; Men's Soccer Captain Lukas Egarter
Tuesday, September 16
Temple Men's Basketball | Babatunde Durodola Day In The Life
Saturday, September 13
Ep. 3: Temple Volleyball Head Coach Linda Hampton-Keith || Lacrosse Student-Athlete Jenna Facciolli
Friday, September 12
Ep. 2: Temple Football Alum Tyler Matakevich || Gymnastics Junior Amelia Budd
Friday, September 05
