The Temple College Leopards softball team, fresh off a split with McLennan Community College at Bosque River Ballpark on Wednesday, took on the Highlanders on Saturday afternoon in a rematch of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 teams in the nation.
A sacrifice fly by Ryley Litchfield in the bottom of the ninth inning in the first game and five-run barrage early in game to aid the Leopards to a sweep of MCC.
Scores of the doubleheader were 2-1 (nine innings) and 5-3.
Kat Kram got the start in the opener and pitched her way around back-to-back singles in the MCC first.
The Highlanders broke free in the second inning with two outs. Rylie Marquart tripled and Karaline Smitherman singled her home to give MCC a 1-0 lead.
Marli Kennedy started the bottom of the third out with a bunt single and ran all the way to third on Traci Lowry's throwing error. Brooklyn Walton's sacrifice squeeze bunt to Lily King at third scored Kennedy to tie the game 1-1.
With excellent defensive plays by both teams, neither team threatened again until the top of the eight when Kaelani Rogers started the inning with a double and was courtesy run for by Jordan Tosch. Reliever Reese Cottrell induced three flyouts to get the Leopards out of trouble.
Lexi Dudeczka had a two-out double in the eight inning. However, MCC starter OJ Garrett induced a flyout to end the inning.
After Cottrell retired MCC in order in the ninth, Cottrell reached base on a error and was run for by Jess Reyes. With one out, Izzy Garcia and Angie DeLeon had back-to-back singles to load the bases. Litchfield hit a towering fly ball to Delanie Roeder in left-centerfield. Reyes sprinted from third to score and give Temple not only the first win of the day, but Temple College head coach Kadie Berlin-George her 400th career win.
Six different Leopards contributed hits.
Kram pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowed one run on five hits and walked two. Cottrell picked up the win in excellent relief, having dealt 7 1/3 innings, allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out two.
Rogers and Lowry each had two hits for McLennan.
Garrett took the hard-luck loss, having allowed two unearned runs on six hits, struck out four and walked one.
After game two starter Izzy Garcia retired the side in the first, the Leopards scored twice in the opening frame. Three consecutive singles by Jasmine Benavidez, Cottrell, and Kaiyah Ratu, with Ratu's hit having scored Benavidez gave the Leopards a 1-0 lead. With two outs, Litchfield's single to center scored Ratu to extend TC's lead to a pair of runs.
After Garcia pitched her way out of two singles in the top of the MCC second, the Leopards were able to get Garcia some run support in the bottom of the fourth. Litchfield singled, Myah Starks reached on an error, and Kennedy singled to load the bases. With one out, Dudeczka found the gap in right centerfield for a bases-clearing triple to give Temple a 5-0 lead.
Undeterred, the Highlanders posted three runs in the top of the fifth. Walks to Roeder, Smitherman, and single by Chayne Allen loaded the bases with no one out. Garcia induced a sacrifice flu to Macie Jansky, and Rogers doubled home two runs. Brooke Fechner lined out to Kennedy in centerfield who fired a throw to KyLeigh Cambiano for a huge double play to end the inning.
Temple had a pair of opportunities in the fifth and sixth innings, but neither came to fruition.
Dudeczka, Benavidez, Litchfield, and Cottrell each had two hits, and Dudeczka drove home three runs.
Garcia earned the complete game victory, as she allowed three runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked three.
Marquart had two of MCC's seven hits.
Natalie Klenda took the loss for MCC, having pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits. Allyson Schauer pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief, allowed two hits, struck out one and walked one.
The Leopards are now 22-2 in North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference play and 42-6 overall. MCC dropped to 20-4 in NTJCAC action and 36-10 overall.
Temple will travel to No. 22 Weatherford on Wednesday to take on the Coyotes (34-10, 18-6 in NTJCAC).