March 27, 2010

Box Score

AMBLER, Pa. - Junior pitcher Gardner Leaver worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth, helping the Rhode Island baseball team get past Temple, 7-5, on Saturday afternoon at Skip Wilson Field. Four different Rams recorded multiple hits in the win, including sophomore Mike LeBel - who scored three times - and junior Evan Laude - who drove in a pair of runs.

Leaver entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with one out and runners on first and third. Jabair Khan was then hit by a pitch to load the bases before Leaver struck out Byron McKoy and got Tony Jusino to ground out to end the game in favor of the Rams. In doing so, Leaver picked up his second save of the season while junior starter Ken Graveline was credited with the win.

LeBel scored in the top of the first to give URI an early advantage but Temple used a five-run third inning to take over the lead. However, it proved to be the only inning where the Owls would score as the Rhody pitching staff allowed just four hits the rest of the way, thanks in part to a scoreless 2.1 innings by senior reliever Dan Rossignol.

RBI singles by seniors Rob DeVeney and Zoey Angulo made it 5-3 in the top of the fourth before TU committed three errors in the fifth, allowing the Rams to close in on the lead after LeBel crossed the plate with two away.

Rhody plated another pair of two-out runs in the top of the seventh to move on top, 6-5, before adding an insurance run in the top of the ninth when junior Tom Coulombe scored on a single by Laude.

Ben White took the loss for Temple, which drops to 2-16 (0-2) on the season. URI, meanwhile, improves to 9-11 (2-0).

Rhode Island and Temple will return to Skip Wilson Field to close out the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.