University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Temple
Big Second Inning Leads Temple Past Richmond, 6-2
04/12/2008 | Baseball
April 12, 2008
AMBLER, Pa. - Richmond struck first, but Temple answered with four runs in the bottom of the second inning and hung on for a 6-2 victory Saturday afternoon in the second game of an Atlantic 10 baseball series in Ambler, Pa. Evan Stehle launched a two-run homer for the Spiders in the first inning to account for their only runs.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Spiders, who slipped to 15-18-1 overall and 6-5 in the A-10. The Owls improved to 15-16, 7-4.
Temple starter Matt Mongiardini went seven innings to pick up the victory, holding down a Richmond offense that unleashed 23 runs on 21 hits in Friday's series opener. The Owl pitcher settled in after the two-run homer in the first and held the Spiders to just six hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
"He (Mongiardini) pitched well," said head coach Mark McQueen. "He kept us off-balance, was throwing strikes and was able to get ahead in the count. But we got some quality relief pitching and stayed in the ball game."
Stephen Owens was touched up for four runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings of work and was dealt the loss. After retiring the first two batters in the second inning, two singles and walk set the stage for a bases-clearing double by Stan Orzechowski. Matt Heltz singled in the next at-bat to score Orzechowski.
An RBI double in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in seventh accounted for the balance of Temple's runs.
Joe White and Hank Coogan each had two of Richmond's six hits. Temple pounded out 10 in the winning effort.
Josh Horn pitched 2.1 innings in relief of Owens, allowing just a run and three hits while Daniel Clark and Jay Joines each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
The two teams will meet in the rubber-match of the three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m.
