Temple University Athletics
Temple University
19-33, 7-16
Rhode Island
31-23-1, 15-8
Baseball Can't Quell Rhody's Potent Offense; Loses 17-3
5.18.12 | Baseball
Senior Day set for Saturday at 11:40 a.m.
AMBLER – Temple and Rhode Island used a different combination to total 20 runs for the second straight day, as the Owls fell once again to the Rams—this time by a count of 17-3--at Skip Wilson Field on Friday afternoon.
Redshirt senior Steve Nikorak blasted his seventh home run of the season and 22nd of his career in the eighth inning to pull the Owls within 12 runs on the two-run dinger. Nikorak led all Temple hitters with two hits on the day, putting his four-year hit total at 226. The Stroudsburg, Pa. native is two hits off from moving into a three-way tie for fourth place all-time at Temple with Rob Cucinotta and Tom Whalen, who have 228. Nikorak is already familiar with Whalen, as he passed him back in early March for the school's doubles record. On Saturday, the Owls' third baseman will tie Whalen for seventh place in the record books with 182 career starts.
URI held a commanding 5-0 lead on the Owls, compliments of a three-run inside the park home run by Pat Quinn in the third inning.
Temple put up its first crooked figure on the scoreboard in its half of the third when junior Allen Stiles drove in senior Jabair Khan on his RBI-single into center field.
In the fifth, the Rams threw up a five spot in the inning to put up a double digit run total for the second straight day in route to their fifth double-digit margin of victory of the season.
Sophomore Matt Hockenberry departed the ballgame after the fifth inning. Despite enduring the loss in his final start of the season, he finished the season with five wins, which is the most by a Temple starting pitcher since 2008 when Mike Mongiardini collected six victories in 11 decisions.
Preluding Saturday's rubber match and season finale, Temple Athletics will bid adieu to its six seniors: Foster Dunigan, Taylor Juran, Khan, Nikorak, Brant Norlander and Brian Sustersic—in a ceremony prior to the opening pitch. The Senior Day ceremony will begin promptly at 11:40 a.m. with opening pitch slated for Noon.
Temple will look to notch its 20th victory of the season and pick up its eighth Atlantic 10 Conference win of the season, which would double its total from a season ago.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: FURNEY, Sean (5-1)
L: Hockenberry, Matt (5-4)
Batting:
2B: STENHOUSE, Kevin 1 ; FORTUNATO, Pat 1 ; QUINN, Pat 1 ; FAMIGLIETTI, Chris 1
HR: QUINN, Pat 1
RBI: RICHARDS, Kyle 1 ; CAPUTO, Tim 3 ; STENHOUSE, Kevin 1 ; FORTUNATO, Pat 2 ; QUINN, Pat 4 ; ADAMS, Milan 1 ; JOHNSON, Sam 1 ; LANDI, Joe 2 ; FAMIGLIETTI, Chris 2
Base Running:
RUNS: ROY, Jeff 1 ; CAMMANS, Jeff 2 ; STENHOUSE, Kevin 1 ; ANNARUMMO, Greg 2 ; FORTUNATO, Pat 2 ; HAVERSTICK, Dan 2 ; QUINN, Pat 3 ; ADAMS, Milan 2 ; JOHNSON, Sam 1 ; FAMIGLIETTI, Chris 1
SB: CAMMANS, Jeff 1 ; ANNARUMMO, Greg 1
HBP: RICHARDS, Kyle 1 ; STENHOUSE, Kevin 1
Batting:
2B: Queja, Jordan 1 ; Khan, Jabair 1
HR: Nikorak, Steve 1
RBI: Stiles, Allen 1 ; Nikorak, Steve 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Knabe, Henry 1 ; Nikorak, Steve 1 ; Khan, Jabair 1
SB: Khan, Jabair 1 ; Yarborough, Elijah 1
HBP: Dunigan, Foster 1
