April 7, 2011
PHILADELPHIA, PA - One of the oldest rivalries in Philadelphia collegiate baseball will be renewed this weekend as La Salle travels north to Skip Wilson Field in Ambler for a three-game series against A-10 foe Temple.
The long-standing series between the two clubs dates back to 1947. All-time, the Owls hold an 88-31 edge against the Explorers.
The Explorers (15-13) got the better of Temple last season, posting a 3-1 record against the Owls, with two of the wins coming in conference play and the third coming in a mid-week game that did not count in the A-10 standings.
La Salle saw their Liberty Bell Classic title hopes dashed on Tuesday with a 9-7 loss at home to Villanova. Despite the loss, the Explorers took some positives from the game, including a balanced offensive attack that saw five of the seven RBI's coming from the bottom half of the lineup.
Eric Kammler and Zack Feierstein both went yard in the contest, capping off a four-run sixth for La Salle that at the time, gave the Explorers a 6-4 lead.
Feierstein's home run was his first of the season as the catcher continues to make his return from a shoulder injury. Kammler's blast, a two-run shot, was his second of the year.
Joe Bennie and George Smith Jr. were the other two La Salle hitters towards the bottom of the lineup who had RBI in the loss against the Wildcats.
Villanova will move on to play Delaware next Tuesday, April 12 at Citizen's Bank Park in the championship game of the 2011 Liberty Bell Classic.
As for this weekend's series, it will be a classic matchup of offense vs. defense as Temple sports the highest batting average in the A-10 by far with a .356 clip. Charlotte is a distant second with a .298 batting average.
La Salle's strength this season has been the pitching staff, which is in the top half of the conference standings with a 4.28 ERA. Temple pitching staff has posted a 5.69 ERA so far in 2011.
RHP Kevin Fuqua (2-3, 2.85) will start Friday's series opener for La Salle. Fuqua is 12 innings and 42 strikeouts shy from being the La Salle record-holder in both categories. The senior is projected to surpass both of those marks this season.
Temple friday starter, RHP Ben White (3-4, 4.94) has been one of the most reliable pitchers for the Owls, and leads the staff wtih 41 strikeouts.
Friday's series-opener will begin at 3 p.m. with both of the weekend match ups beginning at 1 p.m. Live stats for the series will be available here.
Projected Rotation:
Friday
LAS - RHP Kevin Fuqua (2-3, 2.85)
TEM - RHP Ben White (3-4, 4.94)
Saturday
LAS - LHP Eric Van Wyk (1-0, 2.67)
TEM - RHP Brant Norlander (3-1, 4.57)
Sunday
LAS - RHP Cody Weiss (3-4, 6.87)
TEM - RHP Matt Hockenberry (2-1, 6.69)
