The baseball team’s game against Lehigh
today is canceled due to the inclement weather that hit the area over the weekend.
It marked the fourth straight game that was canceled, as contests against Binghamton,
Iona and Long Island were called off over the weekend. For a college baseball team playing in the Northeast, these things are going to happen.
To make up for the lost games, the Owls have added a home matchup with Bucknell to their schedule. That game is slated for Wednesday, April 18, a date when perhaps the weather will be more cooperative. The Owls did manage to get a game in last Wednesday, when it was 70 degrees and sunny.
Battling city-rival Penn on the road, the Owls mustered only seven hits in a 5-1 loss to the Quakers. The lone bright spot for the Owls was reserve outfielder Jamie Abercrombie, who in a rare start went 4-for-4 and knocked in Temple’s only run.
The loss dropped the Owls to 4-10 on the season, and with just two games left before
their Atlantic Ten Conference opener against Massachusetts, this week’s road games against Lehigh on Tuesday and St. John’s on Wednesday loom.
In order to win, the Owls will need to continue getting production from their senior standout infielder Dan Brady. In 14 games this season, Brady is hitting a crisp .321 with four home runs and nine runs batted in. However, he leads the team in strikeouts.
Pitching wise, things have been tough on the Owls. They only have two pitchers with earned run averages under 4.00 – starter Tom Dolan and reliever Kyle Monahan. Dolan has been the ace of the staff, compiling
a 2-1 record in his four starts. His 2.25 ERA and 17 strikeouts lead the club.
He will have to continue to pitch lights-out to give the Owls a shot in the A-10 this year. With an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament a slim possibility, the conference portion of the schedule is extremely important to the Owls. Once that first pitch is thrown Friday against Massachusetts, the Owls can put their early-season troubles behind
them.
They might as well look at it as a brand-new season.
Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.
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