AMBLER, Pa. - Temple University scored four runs over the first two innings and added three insurance runs late to defeat the Monmouth University baseball team, 7-1, Sunday afternoon at Skip Wilson Field.  The Hawks fall to 13-12 with the loss, while the Owls improve to 12-15 on the season.

Steve Nikorak's two-run home run in the first inning gave the Owls a 2-0 lead in the opening frame.  The Hawks cut the lead in half in top of the second as Tim Bickford (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan) doubled and came around to score two batters later on Chris Perret's (Morris Plains, N.J./Morris Catholic) fielder's choice, but the Blue and White could not climb any closer as Temple plated two more runs in the home half of the inning.  The Owls scored on a MU wild pitch and Nikorak chased in his third run of the contest on a RBI single to push Temple's lead to 4-1.  The home team added three runs on five hits in the eighth to secure its second-straight victory over the Blue and White.

Dan Smith (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) started for MU, lasting three innings, surrendering four runs on six hits, while Andrew McGee (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) allowed three runs on seven base knocks with a trio of strikeouts in his 4.0 innings of work.  Joe Loiodice (Forest Hill, Md./John Carroll) and John McDonald (Langhorne, Pa./Conwell Egan Catholic) combined to work a two-hit, scoreless inning out of the bullpen.

Matt Hockenberry picked up the victory for Temple, yielding the lone run on six hits over 6.0 innings on the hill.

The Hawks return to West Long Branch for five games over a four-day period.  MU will entertain Lafayette on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. before welcoming in Quinnipiac for a four-game Northeast Conference series Thursday through Saturday.