Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader Against New Orleans

Saturday, April 23

New Orleans, La.

2:00 p.m.

Temple University

5 (11)

New Orleans

Steve Visnic

Photo by: Mitchell Leff

Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader Against New Orleans

4.23.11 | Baseball

Owls rally from down two to win game one in extras, overpower in game two

Box Scores - Game 1 | Game 2

NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Temple baseball team rallied in exciting fashion to take game one of the Owls' doubleheader with New Orleans, 9-5, on Saturday afternoon at Maestri Field. Temple overpowered the Privateers in game two, winning 11-2 to sweep the doubleheader and improve to 20-16 on the year.

Game one was won in exciting fashion, as the Owls completed the comeback from being down 5-3 to take the contest 9-5 in the 11th. Junior Brant Norlander struggled with his command in the start, giving up eight free passes and five earned runs while striking out five. He would be relieved by redshirt-sophomore Steve Visnic (2-1), who threw the next 6.2 innings scoreless to earn the win, only allowing four hits and striking out a season-high seven batters.

For New Orleans (3-36), Tyler Sanders tossed 7.1 innings of work, striking out seven but surrendering 12 hits to the Owls. Sanders' start was spoiled by a comeback from the Owls, picking up a pair of runs off of Coby Landry - one of which credited to Sanders.

The Owls took a first inning lead as senior Byron McKoy (4-6, 2 RBI) led off the frame with a single to right, scoring on a single through the right side by sophomore Daniel Dragos (2-5, RBI). New Orleans was quick to respond, picking one up in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at 1-1.

Temple would go up again with a pair in the top of the fourth, as sophomore Elijah Yarborough hit a one-out single up the middle to start the rally. McKoy took one for the team to put runners on first and second, but a senior Adrian Perez grounder caught McKoy at second and left runners on first and third. Ferguson drew a walk to load the bases for redshirt-junior Steve Nikorak (3-6, 2B, HR, 3 RBI), who drilled a double to left to plate two and put the Owls up 3-1.

A four-run fifth from New Orleans gave the home team a 5-3 lead, however, and fans would see Norlander's day end with one out in the frame as Visnic came on in relief.

Flanary sparked a run in the eight to get the Owls within one. The Marlton, N.J., native singled up the middle to lead off the frame, moving to second on a single by McKoy. The pair advanced one base on a wild pitch, with Flanary scoring on a sacrifice fly by senior Adrian Perez.

Visnic continued to dominate the Privateer hitters, keeping them off the board in the bottom of the eight to set up the late-game heroics by Nikorak. Leading off the ninth, Nikorak took the first pitch of his at bat for a ball and the next pitch for a ride, blasting a solo-homer to left to tie the game at 5-5. It would be the only runs of the inning for TU, despite a two-out attempt to start things back up with a single by junior Jabair Khan.

Nikorak was again the catalyst for the Owls in the 11th, as he led off the frame with a double, and advanced to third on a successful sacrifice bunt by Dragos. After a walk to sophomore Henry Knabe, Khan singled up the middle to plate Nikorak and put Temple up 6-5. The Owls tacked on three more runs in the frame and Visnic rolled through the Privateers in the bottom half to secure the 9-5 win.

Game two featured a stellar pitching performance from junior Tyler Horst (1-0), who went 7.0 innings and allowed no runs. Horst scattered seven hits and struck out five, only walking one. Freshman Ryan Davis tossed the final two frames, giving up just one hit and two runs.

Nolan Church (0-2) started for the Privateers and lasted 5.2 innings, leaking six earned runs and a total of 10 during the time he was pitching. Cory Hoffman took over for Church, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing one run.

Nikorak was the producer at the plate for the Owls, driving in three RBI on a pair of doubles. The Stroudsburg, Pa., native led off the five-run Temple second with his first double of the game, moving to third on single by Dragos. Sophomore Henry Knabe stepped in and singled to plate Nikorak, with Khan reaching on an misplay at second that scored Dragos. Errors again proved costly for UNO, as Flanary reached on an error at first that scored Knabe. Yarborough doubled into left to keep the inning alive and plate Khan, with a Perez sacrifice fly scoring the fifth run of the frame in Flanary.

The Owls improved their lead to 6-0 with a run in the fourth, as Yarborough (3-5, 2 2B, 2 R) hit his second double of the game and moved to third on a wild pitch, plating on a sacrifice fly by McKoy.

Horst continued to keep the Privateers scoreless as the Temple bats went back to work in the top of the sixth, impressively scoring five runs on a two-out rally. Yarborough started things off with a single up the middle, advancing to second on a wild pitch. McKoy drew a walk to put runners on first and second, setting up an RBI-double by Perez. Ferguson drew a walk to load the bases for Nikorak, who hit a bases-clearing double to left center field. Dragos doubled as the next batter to plate Nikorak and give the Owls an 11-0 lead.

Davis came on for Horst in the eighth, throwing that frame scoreless and allowing two runs in the ninth to close out the game. The series wraps tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.