Having faced No. 2 Blinn College ten days ago in Brenham, the Temple College Leopards hosted the Buccaneers in a blustery Saturday doubleheader at the Danny Scott Sports Complex.
The Leopards pushed the Buccaneers to an extra inning in the first game, but Blinn scored a run in the top of the eighth that TC was unable to answer and then raced past the Leopards in the second game for the doubleheader sweep.
Scores of the games were 10-9 (eight innings) and 13-1 (five innings).
With the wind blowing out, it made for crazy opening game.
Sage Sanders' bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the first scored Kash Millar to put the Leopards on the board.
Kason Atkin's sacrifice fly in the second inning for the Buccaneers tied the game 1-1.
Temple posted four runs in the bottom of the second Elias Leon-Padilla homered to right field and Chase Fricke added a three-run homer to right field to give Temple a 5-1 lead.
Bani Barrera's three-run homer in the top of the third cut Blinn's deficit to 5-4.
Sanders' solo homer to right field in the bottom of the third pushed Temple's lead back to two runs, 6-4.
Ryley Leininger's three-run homer in the top of the fourth gave Blinn their first lead of the game, 7-6. Zachary Tuxhorn added a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to make the score 9-6.
The Leopards rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. Leon-Padilla's second homer of the game sailed over the centerfield batter's eye to score Trajan Godbee, and Kanyon Millar's pinch-hit homer over the right field fence tied the game 9-9.
In the top of the eighth, Brady Sullivan's single scored Caden Baker for the go-ahead run.
Leininger allowed a walk in the bottom of the eighth, but the Leopards were unable to take advantage as Blinn won game one.
Reece Lunsford had two of Blinn's eight hits. The Buccaneers drew 11 walks and were hit by two pitches.
Luke Ekdall got the start on the hill for Blinn, allowed six runs on five hits, struck out seven and walked five in five innings. Landon Bowden pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowed two runs on two hits, walked one, and struck out one. Leininger picked up the win in relief, allowed one run on one hit, struck out one and walked one.
Joseph McMurtry got the start for Temple, allowed four runs on three hits, walked five, and struck out two over three innings. Carson Henderson dealt 2 2/3 innings, allowed five runs on three hits, struck out four and walked three. Collin Toedter picked up the loss in relief, allowed one run on one hit, walked two and struck out one in two innings. Quentin Medrano pitched 1/3 inning, allowed a hit, and walked a batter.
Jacob Bohacek's solo homer over the left field fence put Blinn on the board to open game two. Atkins' two-run double increased the Buccaneers' lead to 3-0.
Hunter Smolinski scored on an error that gave Blinn a 4-0 advantage in the second. Dane Perry added a three-run homer and Bohacek's three-run blast lifted Blinn's lead to 10-0.
Perry's RBI single and Smolinski's second two-run homer increased Blinn's advantage to 13-0 in the fourth.
Ryan Hunter broke up the shutout in the fourth with an RBI single that scored Fricke.
Bohacek and Perry each had two hits and four RBI, and Tuxhorn added two hits.
Hayden Morris went the distance for Blinn for the victory, having pitched five innings, allowed a run on three hits, struck out eight and walked one.
Kade Davis picked up the loss in the start for Temple. He dealt 2 1/3 innings, allowed ten runs (nine earned) on six hits, walked five, struck out two, and hit a batter. Zabien Urteaga pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief, allowed three runs on three hits. Zion Chen pitched an inning of relief and walked two Buccaneers.
Temple (7-7) will host Alvin Community College at the Danny Scott Sports Complex Tuesday at 1 pm.