The No. 8 Temple College softball team hosted the Cisco College Wranglers on Saturday at the Danny Scott Sports Complex, looking to close out the series with a pair of wins.
The Leopards celebrated Sophomore Day, as Jasmine Benavidez, Marli Kennedy, Lexi Dudeczka, Maycee Griffin, Angie DeLeon, Reese Cottrell, Amyah Starks, and Dalanee Ekster were recognized for their contributions to Temple College Softball.
Temple's nine-run second inning of the opening game set the tempo for the Leopards, as TC pulled off the sweep to extend their win streak to 16 games and improve their North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference record to 8-0.
The Leopards won game one in five innings, 12-3, and took game two, 6-3.
Izzy Garcia got the game one start in the circle and struck out two of the first batters she faced.
Temple (28-4 overall, 8-0 NTJCAC), following a fly out and pop out in the bottom of the first, Cottrell, Kaiyah Ratu, and DeLeon walked in succession to load the bases.
Cisco starting pitcher Natalie Gonzales struck out Garcia looking to retire the side.
Garcia struck out two more Wranglers in the top of the second before the offense gave her a lead for good in the bottom of the frame.
With one out, Kennedy reached on an error, stole second base, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored on Dudeczka's single that also scored Brooklyn Walton. Benavidez's bunt single scored Dudeczka. Cottrell and Ratu walked to load the bases. On a 3-1 offering, DeLeon launched the ball over the left field fence for a grand slam to make the score 7-0. Garcia singled, and Griffin came on to run. Starks reached base on a dropped third strike. Griffin scored on a passed ball, and Starks scored on a Dudeczka single to lift Temple's advantage to 9-0.
Leah Sommerville's single scored Brianna Scarborough to put the Wranglers on the board.
Garcia and Starks added sacrifice flies that scored Cottrell and Ratu respectively in the third gave Temple a 10-run lead.
Dudeczka reached on a walk in the fourth inning to lift TC's lead to 11, 12-1.
Scarborough doubled home Trinity Blatz and Julia LaRue's sacrifice fly scored Scarborough for the final run of the game.
Temple drew ten walks and seven base hits in the game. Dudeczka scored twice, had two hits and three RBI. DeLeon had four RBI and two walks, and Cottrell, and Ratu also scored twice.
Garcia picked up the win, pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowed one run on two hits, struck out five, and walked one. Ekster pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowed two runs on one hit, one walk, and one strikeout.
Gonzales picked up the loss, allowed seven runs (six earned) on three hits, walked six and struck out one in 1 1/3 innings. Cheyenne Wardell pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits, walked four, and struck out two.
Kat Kram got the game two start in the circle for Temple and retired the side in the first inning.
Dudeczka led off the bottom of the first two innings. She advanced to third by way of two ground outs and scored on Ratu's single. DeLeon's lined double to left scored Ratu to double Temple's lead to 2-0.
Ryley Litchfield reached on an error to start the second. She stole third and scored on Kennedy's ground out.
With one out in the fourth, Kennedy doubled and Walton singled her to third. Walton stole second base before Dudeczka's single loaded the bases. Benavidez's single score Kennedy and Cottrell's groundout scored Walton to give the Leopards a 5-0 lead.
Kennedy singled home KyLeigh Cambiano with two outs in the fifth to increase Temple's lead to six.
Kram struck Blatz out to start the sixth but found trouble. Katlyn Clark's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded scored Makayla Pruitt. Paige Stall's double scored Wardell and Lexi Flessner to clip Temple's lead to three. Stall had two of Cisco's four hits in the contest.
Cottrell slammed the door in the seventh to give Temple the doubleheader and series sweep.
Temple collected ten hits and three walks, led by Ratu, DeLeon, and Kennedy with two hits each.
Kram picked up the win for TC. She pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowed three runs on three hits, four strikeouts, and two walks. Cottrell pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowed a hit and a walk, and struck out three.
Cierra Turner picked up the loss in the circle. She pitched four-plus innings, allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits and walked two. Shelby Fraser pitched two innings of relief, allowed a hit and a walk.
The sweep pulled the Leopards into a first-place tie with McLennan College at 8-0. The Highlanders play Trinity Valley Community College in a bye-week, non-conference matchup.
Temple will take on No. 1 Grayson College on Wednesday in Denison.