AMHERST, MA (05/07/03) - Saint Joseph's will take on Temple in its opening game of the 2003 Atlantic 10 Softball Tournament. It will mark the third straight year that the two Philly schools have tangled in the first round of the A-10 Tournament. The game will be played on Thursday, May 8 at the UMass Softball Complex (4:00 p.m.) and can be heard here. The Hawks (24-13, 8-4 in A-10 play) are the tournament's three-seed while the Owls (20-18, 10-4) are the second seed. Tournament host UMass (33-13, 11-1) are the top-seed and will be looking to win its ninth straight A-10 Championship and 12th in the past 13 years. The Minutewomen's first round opponent will be Fordham (37-17, 10-6), making its first appearance in the tourney as the four seed. SJU will be trying to end a eight-game losing streak against Temple, dating back to the 2001 season. The Hawks, making their eighth trip to the A-10 Touranment, will also be looking to snap a four-game A-10 Tournament skid. The last time the Hawks won in A-10 Tournament play was against Virginia Tech, 1-0, in 1999. SJU has also never defeated Temple in A-10 Tournament play, dropping all four previous meetings. The Hawks and Owls tangled in an A-10 record 13-inning game on May 4, 1997. The Owls won that contest, 2-1.