Jake Hyman
Nashville, Tenn. (2/23/14) – Temple finished the opening weekend of the 2014 season Sunday falling to the Indiana State Sycamores 6-0 at the TSU Tiger Classic. The loss dropped the Owls record to (2-3) having played five games in a span of three days which started Friday.
RF Rylee Holland got things going early for the Sycamores. After a single to left, she proceeded to steal second setting up a single by C Brooke Riemenschneider to drive her in. Small ball gets Indiana State the early lead.
Temple was plagued by errors all game and the third inning documented that notion very well. Both 3B Devynne Nelons and SS Sarah Prezioso allowed Indiana State to get on the board once again. SP Brooklyn White hit a batter and walked another.
There was only one hit in the inning but the Sycamores still managed to score.
Another Prezioso error on an Aubre Carpenter hit allowed Indiana State to tack on another run making the score 3-0 in the fourth. SS Morgan Allee, channeling her inner Rickey Henderson, stole both second and third and scored on a sac bunt to the pitcher.
With the Owls down four, Temple still couldn’t produce a run on offense and went to the fifth needing a jolt to get them going.
LF Annie Marcopolus led off with a single as the Owls finally had signs of life in their bats. After two groundouts, Prezioso and CF Lacey McKeon singled to put the Owls with bases loaded and two outs. With the number three hitter up, the Owls had the player able to drive in runs in C Stephanie Pasquale.
Pasquale squandered the chance however and grounded out to end the inning, a tough break for the Owls.
The Sycamores added two runs on an error and single by 1B Megan Stone and held onto the 6-0 shutting out the Owls.
Temple hit only .200 on the day and failed to muster anything on offense. SS Sarah Prezioso led the Owls going 2-4. SP Brooklyn White (0-1) was charged with the loss for the Owls going a respectable 6.0 innings allowing four runs on six hits and four walks.
Sycamores SP Yvette Alvarez was dominant on the mound only allowing five hits and three walks and pitched a complete game shutout. She got Pasquale to ground out with the bases loaded in the fifth, a momentum changing play for Indiana State.
The loss dropped Temple to (2-3) on the season while the Sycamores surpass .500 at (4-3).
On a positive note, according to owlsports.com, sophomore Kelsey Dominik (Woolwich Township, N.J./Kingway Regional) and senior Sarah Prezioso (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) have been named to the 2014 TSU Tiger Classic All-Tournament team which was made official at the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday, February 23.
Dominik spearheaded the Owls attack hitting a ridiculous .500 throughout the five game tournament. What’s even more impressive was her .875 average to go along with her five RBI and a homer through the first three games. Besides her hot hitting, Dominik lit up the mound going 1-1 with a 3.23 ERA in 13 innings.
Joining Dominik to the All-Tournament team was SS Sarah Prezioso. She led the Owls with nine hits and scorched the ball all weekend to the tune of a .474 average. She also added a steal to her stat total and now is just eight thefts short of setting the school at 52.
Temple will be featured in another tournament next weekend at the USF Under Armour Invitational. The Owls will face Florida Atlantic (4:30 p.m.) and Kennesaw State (6:45 p.m.) in tournament games on Friday, February 28.
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