Temple University Athletics
Friday, April 27
Amherst, Mass.
3:00 p.m.
Temple University
at
Massachusetts
Photo by: Mitchell Leff
Baseball Opens Three-Game Set At A-10 Rival UMass
4.27.12 | Baseball
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AMHERST, Mass. – Forty games now into the season, Temple Baseball gets set to open the second half of its Atlantic 10 Conference schedule on Friday at 3:00 p.m. when it visits the Massachusetts Minutemen (15-14, 8-4) for a three-game set at Earl Lorden Field. With a record of 2-10 through their first 12 league games, every game from here on out is now critical for the Owls (14-26) in order for them to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Head coach Ryan Wheeler is sticking with his weekend starting rotation with senior RHP Dan Moller, sophomore RHP Matt Hockenberry and freshman LHP Patrick Peterson. UMass will send righty Dennis Torres to the mound Friday afternoon before Glen Misho and Joe Popielarczyk will make starts Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
In their last time out, the Owls rallied back from a 3-1 deficit at home against Villanova to tie the game at three heading into the ninth. Redshirt senior Steve Nikorak, who has batted out of the leadoff spot in the last two games skied a pitch off the trim of the left field wall with the bases loaded to provide the equalizing runs. After the Wildcats reclaimed the lead in their ensuing at bat, junior Elijah Yarborough tried to squeeze home the tying run on junior Allen Stiles' base hit, but Yarborough was gunned down at the plate on a throw from right field that one-hoped into the glove the Wildcat catcher, who applied the tag to end the ballgame in devastating fashion.
Stiles has seen in an increase of playing time recently and is showing he deserves it. In Wednesday's game against Villanova, he went 4-for-5 and scored a run.
Temple is coming off an A-10 win, as it salvaged a victory in the series rubber match against Richmond last Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader. Junior Foster Dunigan, who has spent most of the season batting in the nine-hole and hitting .302 on the year, hacked at a pitch that scored the walk-off run for the Owls.
For the second straight game, UMass put up double digits in its midweek game on Wednesday, defeating Maine, 11-5.
Coming into the series, the Minutemen are 8-4 in A-10 play, as they have taken series from Fordham, La Salle and Saint Louis, while losing two of three at Saint Joseph's.
Batting .349 on the year, Rich Graef leads the team in hitting with 30 hits in 86 at bats
Popielarczyk is undefeated with a record of 4-0 and an ERA of 1.12.
Massachusetts leads the all-time head-to-head series, 44-40-1. In last season's series at Skip Wilson Field, the Owls took the middle of the set by a final of 10-9 in extra innings.
AMHERST, Mass. – Forty games now into the season, Temple Baseball gets set to open the second half of its Atlantic 10 Conference schedule on Friday at 3:00 p.m. when it visits the Massachusetts Minutemen (15-14, 8-4) for a three-game set at Earl Lorden Field. With a record of 2-10 through their first 12 league games, every game from here on out is now critical for the Owls (14-26) in order for them to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Head coach Ryan Wheeler is sticking with his weekend starting rotation with senior RHP Dan Moller, sophomore RHP Matt Hockenberry and freshman LHP Patrick Peterson. UMass will send righty Dennis Torres to the mound Friday afternoon before Glen Misho and Joe Popielarczyk will make starts Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
In their last time out, the Owls rallied back from a 3-1 deficit at home against Villanova to tie the game at three heading into the ninth. Redshirt senior Steve Nikorak, who has batted out of the leadoff spot in the last two games skied a pitch off the trim of the left field wall with the bases loaded to provide the equalizing runs. After the Wildcats reclaimed the lead in their ensuing at bat, junior Elijah Yarborough tried to squeeze home the tying run on junior Allen Stiles' base hit, but Yarborough was gunned down at the plate on a throw from right field that one-hoped into the glove the Wildcat catcher, who applied the tag to end the ballgame in devastating fashion.
Stiles has seen in an increase of playing time recently and is showing he deserves it. In Wednesday's game against Villanova, he went 4-for-5 and scored a run.
Temple is coming off an A-10 win, as it salvaged a victory in the series rubber match against Richmond last Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader. Junior Foster Dunigan, who has spent most of the season batting in the nine-hole and hitting .302 on the year, hacked at a pitch that scored the walk-off run for the Owls.
For the second straight game, UMass put up double digits in its midweek game on Wednesday, defeating Maine, 11-5.
Coming into the series, the Minutemen are 8-4 in A-10 play, as they have taken series from Fordham, La Salle and Saint Louis, while losing two of three at Saint Joseph's.
Batting .349 on the year, Rich Graef leads the team in hitting with 30 hits in 86 at bats
Popielarczyk is undefeated with a record of 4-0 and an ERA of 1.12.
Massachusetts leads the all-time head-to-head series, 44-40-1. In last season's series at Skip Wilson Field, the Owls took the middle of the set by a final of 10-9 in extra innings.
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