Winter Haven, Fla. (3/8/14) – The Gauntlet continued for the Owls Friday in Winter Haven, Florida as they lost 3-2 against Sacred Heart and destroyed Manhattan 13-3.
Starter Kelsey Dominik took the mound as she’s been Temple’s ace all season and were looking to build on a win the previous day. The action picked up in the fourth as both Dominik and Pioneers SP Kasey Wentworth both pitched four innings of shutout ball. OF Jenn Robillard knocked in the first run against Temple in eleven innings, counting the previous game when they were shutout, with a RBI single to take the lead. Sacred Heart would get another run in the inning with a groundout as Dominik once again had to pitch from behind.
The Owls finally decided to show up on offense as LF Annie Marcopolus drove in Devynne Nelons with a RBI triple as the tying run was 90 feet away with nobody out. Dominik would have loved another run to work with but Sarah Prezioso and Toni Santos couldn’t bring her home. It looked like another chance would fade away but 1B Leah Lucas picked her teammate up with a RBI single to tie the game at two.
Dominik and Wentworth locked down on the opposition. Temple had a shot to take the lead in the seventh but Dominik grounded into a double play with the bases loaded to end the inning as Sacred Heart had the momentum late. They capitalized on Temple’s inability to drive home runs as LF McKenna Wiegand knocked home the winning run in the bottom of the eighth sending her team to a 3-2 victory and another devastating loss for the Owls.
Dominik (3-4) once again pitched masterfully going 7.1 innings letting up three runs on seven hits and had five strikeouts in the game. Wentworth (2-0) pitched a complete game giving up only one earned run on eight Temple hits and had seven strikeouts. Santos and Marcopolus both led Temple with two hits and Wentworth went 2-3 at the plate for the Pioneers.
Temple looked to unleash their pent up rage after another close defeat and Manhattan just happened to be in their way.
The Owls knocked out Manhattan starter Kate Bowen after only one out as 15 hitters went to the plate in the inning. No typo here as the Jaspers let up nine runs in the inning with an astounding zero extra base hits given up. 2B Leah Lucas had two singles in the inning and helped Temple’s beatdown with a two RBI single with two outs. DH Brooklin White joined the party with a two run homer in the second and Sarah Prezioso and Jessica Haug added RBI singles as well.
Owls SP Amanda Gatt (2-1) was loving every minute of it on the sidelines and compiled her best outing of the season going 4.0 innings with only two hits let up and had two strikeouts. She shut out the Jaspers and was relieved in the fifth where Temple was three outs from the mercy rule. Catcher Elena Bowman put Manhattan on the board with a two run shot and 3B Mickayla Romero added with a RBI single.
Temple held onto their 10 run lead and the Owls cruised to a 13-3 victory. They play Akron and Saint Peter’s tomorrow in Winter Haven.
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