The Temple College baseball team hosted Ranger College in the next-to-last Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference series on Tuesday at the Danny Scott Sports Complex.
Ranger scored one run in the first inning of the opener but were met with a Temple offense that combined for 21 runs on 19 hits, 14 walks, and three batsmen as the Leopards run-ruled the Rangers twice in five-inning affairs, 11-1 and 10-0.
Jayden Brown led off the first game with a triple off TC starting pitcher Patrick Collopy. Andrew Perez's ground out scored Brown to give Ranger a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
Andrew Ermis doubled home Ryder Rutledge and Brayden Simmons to give the Leopards a 2-1 lead. Lance Cantrell's two-run single increased Temple's advantage to three.
Ermis drove home Rutledge with a single in the bottom of the second to lift Temple's lead to four, 5-1.
After Simmons' single scored Rutledge in the fourth, Ermis and Kade Davis hit back-to-back solo homers to give the Leopards an 8-1 lead. Peanut Brazzle's sacrifice fly to right field scored Cantrell to increase TC's lead to eight heading into the top of the fifth.
Following walks to Rutledge and Simmons to lead off the bottom of the fifth, Ermis singled home Rutledge and Davis singled to score Simmons to end the game.
Ermis went 4-of-4 with a homer, five RBI, and two runs scored. Rutledge scored four times, Simmons and Davis each scored twice, Davis and Cantrell each drove in two runs, and Sage Sanders drew three of TC's eight walks.
Collopy pitched five innings in the win, allowed a run on two hits, struck out five and walked on in the win.
Landon Gutierrez took the loss, having pitched one inning, allowed four runs on four hits and two walks. The bullpen combined to pitch three innings, allowed seven runs on eight hits, walked six and struck out one.
In the second game, Eric Tenery pitched around a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first and was rescued with a seven-run Temple outburst.
Sanders was hit with the bases loaded to score Rutledge to give the Leopards the lead. Kadyn Martinez's infield scored Simmons, Hunter Baros drew a bases-loaded walk, Kash Millar was hit with bases loaded, Rutledge reached on catcher's inference that scored Martinez, and Simmons and Ermis drew bases loaded walks to give the Leopards a 7-0 after the first.
Simmons' RBI double to center and Ermis' sacrifice fly to score Rutledge in the third lifted Temple's advantage to 9-0.
Davis' sacrifice fly with one out in the fifth scored Rutledge to end the game.
Ermis and Simmons each had two RBI. Rutledge, Simmons, and Baros each had two hits, and Rutledge scored three times.
Tenery pitched five innings in the win, allowed three walks and two hits while having struck out seven.
Christian Sanchez picked up the loss for Ranger, as he allowed seven runs (four earned) on two hits, walked four and struck out two in 2/3 inning. The bullpen combined to pitch four innings, allowed three runs on five hits, walked two and struck out two.
Temple will travel to Ranger College on Saturday to take on the Rangers.