Owls Split With Binghamton in Big 5 Bash Finale

Sunday, March 18

Ambler, Pa.

Noon

Temple University

9-10

Binghamton

3-6

Binghamton

Temple

Owls Split With Binghamton in Big 5 Bash Finale

3.18.12 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Temple won game one 2-1 before falling 13-5 at Skip Wilson Field

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

AMBLER, Pa. – The Big 5 Baseball Bash came to a close for Temple on Sunday afternoon at Skip Wilson Field with a split of a twin bill with the Binghamton Bearcats, wining game one 2-1 in a seven-inning game before enduring a 13-5 loss in the nine-inning edition.

With the share of the two game set, the Owls go 3-1 on the weekend, helping them improve to 9-11 on the year.

GAME 1: Rookie sensation Nick Lustrino had a perfect day at the plate the opening game of the doubleheader, going 3-for-3. His most important hit of the ballgame came in the fifth inning when the Owls had Foster Dunigan 90 feet from home plate and with Jordan Queja on the opposite corner while trailing by a run.

Lustrino ripped a single to score Dunigan to tie the ballgame at one.

Binghamton's lone run came in the third inning on Zach Blanden's inside the park home run.

Blanden's hit was a bullet, which got away from Temple center fielder Jabair Khan and rolled all the way to the warning track, allowing Blanden to fly around the bases for the round-tripper.

Temple went ahead in the sixth inning on a base hit by Henry Knabe to score Taylor Juran, who clubbed a single into center field to begin the inning.

Redshirt senior Steve Nikorak rebounded from his latest start with a solid performance, as he fanned away three batters in 5.1 innings of work in which he allowed five hits.

Steve Visnic came on to pitch final two-thirds of the sixth inning, where he struck out one and stranded the runners he inherited. Brian Sustersic came on to close it out in the seventh. A 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts, helped him record his second save of the year.

Game 2: Senior Dan Moller got off to a strong start in, getting through the first two innings with just a hit allowed.

The Bearcats found Moller's number in the third and began a scoring spree that would last over the next two innings.

Binghamton went up 3-0 in the third inning, compliments of four hits in the frame. In the fourth, Blanden scored on a hit by Bill Bereszniewicz to extend the lead to a four-run cushion.

When the Owls came up in their half of the inning, they would get on the board, trimming Binghamton's lead to a 4-1 margin. Juran ripped a double into center field to score Lustrino.

Unfortunately for Temple, it would never get closer.

Binghamton put up an eight-spot in the sixth, going up 12-1.

Temple worked to make its way back into the game, as it found ways to score runs in three straight innings with Reilly, Allen Stiles, Matt Elko and Juran all crossing the plate.

Nikorak's on base streak was in jeopardy in game two, but a fielding error that allowed him to reach base helped him reach the base paths for the 20th straight game to start the season.

Temple will have one more non-conference tune-up before beginning Atlantic 10 Conference play next weekend in St. Louis. On Wednesday, the Owls head to La Salle for the second piece of this season's home-home series with the Explorers. The toe will tap the rubber beginning at 3:00 p.m. at Hank DeVincent Field.