Owls Drop Game One to Longwood, 3-2; Salvage Series Finale, 11-1

Sunday, March 4

Farmville, Va.

Noon

Temple University

2-6

Longwood

7-2

Temple

Longwood

Photo by: Mitchell Leff

Owls Drop Game One to Longwood, 3-2; Salvage Series Finale, 11-1

3.4.12 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Nikroak breaks school record with the 55th double of his career

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

FARMVILLE, Va. – Temple split its twin bill with the Longwood Lancers, dropping the first game 3-2 on a walk-off RBI-single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning before exploding for a season-high run total in the rubber match to win 11-1. Between the two games, starting pitchers freshman southpaw Patrick Peterson and redshirt senior right-hander Steve Nikorak combined for 10.0 innings of work and no runs scored. Before making his start on the mound in game two, Nikorak ripped the 55th double of his career in game one, giving him the most in a tenure at Temple University.

[Game 1]: The Owls clung to a 1-0 lead after Elijah Yarborough slapped a base hit to score freshman Nick Lustrino from third base in the fourth inning.

Lustrino had the first of two multi-hit games on Sunday, as he went 3-for-4 in game one before going 2-for-5 in game two. In the two games combined, Lustrino scored three runs, including one in the doubleheader opener. The freshman catcher laced the team's first triple of the season in the second game of the afternoon.

Longwood would jump in front, but not until the seventh inning. Travis Biddex got the party comeback started when he tied the game on his triple that scored Matt Dickason, who reached base earlier in the inning on a Temple fielding error. The Lancers took control later in the inning when Justin Lacy's base-hit scored Robby Newman, putting Longwood up 2-1 at that point.

Temple made the ballgame interesting in the eighth, as it put runners at first and second, courtesy of hits by Henry Knabe and Jabair Khan. A throwing error would move the runners to second and third before Jordan Queja would ground into a double play, but would force Knabe home for the game-tying run.

With the game deadlocked at three in the ninth, Longwood wasted no time as it found a way to load the bases with one out before XX Delk drove in the game-winning run with his single into left field.

Peterson left the mound after five innings of work in which he struck out six batters and did not allow a run, despite walking three batters and giving up five hits. Ryan Kuehn, who pitched 1.1 inning was charged with the loss.

[Game 2]: Behind Nikorak on the mound, the Owls spotted their starter with 10 runs through the first three innings. The offensive bombshell was capped off with three first inning runs, as the Owls found ways to get their first three batters of the game on base. Queja extended his streak of reaching base successfully to nine consecutive games before being waved around on Longwood's throwing error. Lustrino scored shortly after on a Lancers' fielding error, all before Nikroak helped his own cause, as he tacked on a run on sophomore Connor Reilly's sacrifice fly.

Leading 3-0, the Owls continued to pour it on when they came back to the plate in the second.
Khan led off the inning with a double and later came into score to make it a four-run cushion for Temple when Queja ripped an RBI-single into center field.

Queja would later cross the plate on Juran's single. With that base-hit and having another in game one, Juran is now on a nine-game hitting streak to start the season.

Longwood had no answers in its at bat in its half of the second inning, giving the Owls the chance to hammer out five hits for five more runs in the third inning.

Reilly got the party started with a double into right field, before trotting home on Matt Elko's RBI-single into right center field.

Lustrino provided the big blast, as he smashed Temple's first triple of the season to score Queja and Foster Dunigan, who had a 3-for-4 ballgame.

Up 9-0, Nikorak lifted the sacrifice fly to score Lustrino from 90 feet away to give the Owls a 10-run lead heading into the fourth inning.

Longwood would cut into the shutout, only after Nikorak departed after having a 5.0 innings pitched in which he allowed just four hits and no runs, while striking out seven batters and issuing two walks.

The Lancers got on the board in the sixth inning after putting runners on the corners. Connor Hall came into pinch hit and lifted the sacrifice fly ball to score Newman from third base.

In their final at bat of the ballgame, the Owls would ensure their 10-run lead would remain intact, as Dunnigan slapped an RBI base-hit to score Elko to put Temple up 11-1.

Salvaging the final game of the series, the Owls now stand 3-6 on the year before jumping into a vicious schedule in which they are scheduled to play five games over the next seven days. Temple will continue its current road-trip below the Mason-Dixon line, as it heads to Virginia Commonwealth for a single-game on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.