Baseball
Rhody Defeated by Temple, 9-6
KINGSTON, R.I. - Seniors Shaun Hagey (Ephrata, Pa.) and Zach Zaneski (Waterford, Conn.) each recorded three hits in the Rhode Island baseball team's 9-6 loss to Temple, Saturday afternoon at Bill Beck Field. Four other Rams hit safely twice while the Rhody pitching staff combined to fan nine batters.
Sophomore Zoey Angulo (Miami, Fla.) got things started for URI with a one-out single in the third inning and advanced to third on senior Mike O'Malley's (Nashua, N.H.) double down the right field line. Angulo then scored the game's first run on a sac-fly by Shaun Hagey (Ephrata, Pa.).
The Owls came back and plated seven runs in their next at bat and tacked on another in the fifth to lead 8-1 after five innings of play.
Sophomore Oliver Palmer (North Kingstown, R.I.) cracked a lead-off single to left in the bottom of the sixth and crossed the plate on a fielder's choice ball by freshman Jeff Cammans (North Kingstown, R.I.) to make the score 8-2 before Byron McKoy homered over the left field fence to put the Owls back up by seven (9-2) in the top of the seventh.
Hagey doubled to left center to open the bottom of the seventh and moved to third on a Zaneski single to right before crossing the plate on a wild pitch. Zaneski then made the score 9-4 on Palmer's sac fly to center field.
O'Malley scored on an eighth inning RBI single by Zaneski, who in turn was plated on an RBI single by freshman Tom Colombe (Lincoln, R.I.) to cut Temple's lead to three (9-6) but it was as close as the Rams would get as Arshwin Asjes kept URI off the board in its final at bat to earn the save.
Temple starter Matt Mongiardini earned the win, lasting six innings and giving up four runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Rhode Island starter Eric Smith was charges with the loss after allowing seven runs (six earned) on three hits and five walks with four K's.
With the loss, Rhode Island drops to 6-11 (0-2 Atlantic 10) while Temple improves to 9-7 (2-0 Atlantic 10). The two teams will return Bill Beck Field for the series finale, tomorrow at noon.
