The Temple College baseball team traveled to Denison on Friday for a doubleheader rematch against the Grayson College Vikings.

The Leopards and Vikings split games, with Temple rallying from three runs down to win the opening game, 9-5. Grayson pulled out the second game in a phrenetic finish, 12-11, in an ending that saw the teams combine for 18 runs in the final three-and-a-half innings.

Temple (24-15 overall, 10-6 NTJCAC) picked up two runs to start the game, which was answered by Grayson with four runs.

The Vikings added a run in the fourth inning before the Leopards mounted a big seven-run rally in the top of the fifth and held on for the four-run win.

Elias Leon-Padilla's home run highlighted the fifth-inning rally, along with doubles by Wade Stallones and Peanut Brazzle. Leon-Padilla had two hits and three RBI, Stallones went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, and Kanyon Millar added two hits.

Joseph McMurtry picked up the win, having dealt five innings, allowed five runs on seven hits, struck out six and walked two. Collin Toedter pitched two innings of hitless relief, having struck out two.

In the second game, the Leopards hopped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Peanut Brazzle hit a three-run homer and Ricky Montijo hit a solo homer in back-to-back pitches.

Grayson (21-14 overall, 15-5 NTJCAC) began a stretch of five consecutive innings of scoring in the fourth inning, with a run to get them on the board, and took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth.

The teams mirrored each other in the run column over sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, scoring a run in sixth, two in the seventh, and four in the eighth with Grayson having emerged with a 12-11 lead after eight innings.

The Leopards put together a rally in the ninth, but could not push across a run, as the Vikings took the second game to split the doubleheader and series.

Temple used nine extra-base hits to fuel a 13-hit attack.

Montijo went 3-of-4 with a homer and a double, Stallones went 2-of-4 with a double and three RBI, Brazzle went 2-of-4 with a homer, double, and three RBI, and Chase Fricke added two hits, two runs scored, and two RBI. Kade Davis also added a homer.

Temple will travel to Ranger on Wednesday to start their four-game conference series against Ranger College (17-22 overall, 6-14 NTJCAC).

McMurtry earns NCTCJAC Pitcher of the Week honor

Freshman Joseph McMurtry picked up the NTJCAC Pitcher of the Week honor for this past week.

McMurtry, a native of Troy, Texas, tossed a five-inning shutout against Cisco College for his sixth win of the season. He allowed two hits and struck out eight Wranglers in the victory.