By Tony Adams, for Temple College
The Danny Scott Athletic Complex will have plenty of action for all sports tastes this week.
- On Monday, the Temple College Softball team will host Trinity Valley Community College in doubleheader action. The games are slated for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
- On Wednesday, TC Softball travels to Athens to take on TVCC in doubleheader action. Game times at Trinity are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
- The Temple College Basketball program hosts Southwestern Christian College in continuation of North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference action. The women’s game will be at 5 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 7 p.m.
- Also on Wednesday, TC Baseball will travel to the Texas coast to take on Galveston College in doubleheader action. Game times in Galveston will be at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
- On Friday, TC Softball will host Odessa College in a non-conference doubleheader. Game times at the Danny Scott Athletic Complex are slated for 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
- On Saturday, the TC Baseball squad will host Galveston College in doubleheader action. The first pitch of game one is slated for 1 p.m., with game two slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.
- The TC Basketball program travels to Ranger on Saturday. The women’s game starts at 2 p.m., followed by the men’s contest at 4 p.m.
- Also on Saturday, Odessa College Softball will take on Cowley County (KS) Community College in doubleheader action, hosted by TC Softball. Game times are 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
- Finally on Sunday, the TC Softball squad hosts Cowley County. The Sunday games are slated for 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Here is a recap of this past week’s action around Leopards Athletics:
Temple College Baseball bounces back to shut out Navarro, 9-0
On Feb. 13, the Temple College Leopards received a big game from their offense and pitching staff as the Leopards shut out Navarro College 9-0.
Cole Tabor had two homers, three runs batted in, three runs scored, two walks and a hit by pitch to lead the offensive effort. Jake Weaver added two hits and two runs scored.
Six pitchers combined for the six-hit shutout, with Eric Tenery getting the win in his three-inning start. Zak Johnson, John Michael Ramirez, Mason Peters, Cole Marthiljohni and Garrett Baumann combined for six innings of scoreless relief.
TC Baseball sweeps Angelina College
The Leopards traveled to Lufkin Saturday to take on Angelina College in doubleheader action.
TC pounded Angelina for 11 runs in the fourth inning to rout the Javelinas in the opener, 13-0 in five innings. The Leopards rallied twice in the second game to upend the Javelinas for the sweep, 8-6.
In game one, Mason Peters surrendered three hits, walked three, hit one batter and struck out four over five innings to improve his record to 2-0.
The opening game offense came through in a big way for the Leopards, who scored on a Ty Marthiljohni RBI single in the second inning and a bases-loaded to Lance Cantrell in third inning to pave the way for a massive fourth-inning rally.
Cole Tabor drove in Brayden Simmons with a single, Wilson Woodcox drove home Tabor and Jake Weaver with a double, Trent Rucker doubled home Woodcox, and Mason Ashlock’s sacrifice fly scored Rucker to put Temple up 7-0 with two outs.
Simmons triple homed Cantrell and Marthiljohni, Simmons scored on an error, and Woodcox’s fly ball tipped off the left fielder’s glove to score three more runs, as TC exited the top of the fourth with a 13-run lead.
Angelina loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth, but Peters got a ground ball fielder’s choice to end the game.
In game two, Garrett Baumann pitched 3 1/3 innings of three-hit ball and Cole Marthiljohni pitched 3 2/3 innings to pick up the win in relief.
Down 1-0 in the top of the fourth, Lance Cantrell scored on an error, and Luke Meyer singled home Andrew Ermis to give TC their first lead of the game, 2-1.
Meyer scored on an error, Woodcox drove in Simmons and Rucker with a double, and Tabor scored on a balk to increase the Leopards to lead to five runs, 6-1.
Angelina rallied for five runs at the bottom of the inning to tie the score 6-6.
TC executed a suicide squeeze bunt as Cash Russell scored Ermis. Meyer scored on an error for the final run of the game.
Six different Leopards collected hits as Woodcox drove home two runs to lead the squad.
The Leopards completed the weekend with a 9-2 record.
Temple College Softball wins wild doubleheader over San Jacinto
On Feb. 13, the Temple College Softball team hosted the San Jacinto College Ravens in a pair of marathon games.
The Lady Leopards outlasted the Ravens in a doubleheader sweep, 17-14 and 10-9 in eight innings.
In the opening game, Temple jumped out to an 8-0 lead over the first two innings. Adelyn Becerra and Lily Garcia contributed homers in the second as part of a five-run second frame.
The Ravens sliced the deficit back to a run, thanks to timely hitting from Peyton Watson, who homered late in the game. San Jac trailed 9-8 after three-and-a-half innings.
TC posted eight runs, four each in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 17-11 lead.
San Jac made up three runs in the final two innings but fell short by three runs.
Becerra had a grand slam and three-run homer for seven runs batted in. Garcia added three hits and five runs batted in, and Emily Delgado and Channing Lipe each drove in two runs.
Haley Crawford picked up the win in the circle.
San Jac took an early 1-0 lead in game two when Maggie Evans singled home Chloe Foster off Hannah Calhoun.
The Lady Leopards answered back with four runs in the second inning, as Maveryck Lightfoot had an RBI double, Lipe scored on a passed ball, and Becerra added a two-run double.
The Ravens picked up a run in the four inning and five more in the fifth, as they built a 7-4 advantage.
The Leopards countered with a three-run sixth inning, as Becerra had a bases-clearing triple, but was thrown out at the plate trying to stretch it into an inside-the-park grand slam. TC tied the score at 7-7.
Karin Diaz’s two-run homer in the top of the seventh was answered with Bre’ Jackson driving in a run on an error and Kennan Nunamaker singled in the tying run to send the game into an extra inning.
With one out, Watson singled. Calhoun, who came back in to relieve Delgado in the eighth, induced a ground ball to Lightfoot at second base. Lightfoot tagged Watson and threw to Nunamaker at first for the double play to put TC back to offense for a chance to win the game.
Delgado reached on an infield single to start the bottom of the eighth. Alyssa Budisalovich laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Delgado to second. With two outs and Delgado at third base following a passed ball, Lightfoot laced a single to score Delgado and give TC their 12th win in a row to start the season.
Lightfoot went 4-of-5 with two runs batted in, Nunamaker had three hits and three RBI, and Hannah Wiggins scored three times.
Delgado pitched six innings in relief and picked up the win, having allowed four earned runs and struck out five.
TC Softball earns four-game sweep at Bert Massey Classic, extends win streak to 16
Temple College Softball began a four-game series at the 2024 Bert Massey Classic, hosted by Cisco College, in Brownwood.
On Thursday, the Lady Leopards took on Otero (CO) College to start their stay.
Adelyn Becerra and Alyssa Budisalovich doubled in the first inning, resulting in five runs, as TC scored the first nine runs of the game and came away with a 10-2 win over the Rattlers.
The win extended the Lady Leopards’ win streak to 13.
Becerra’s one-out double scored Bre’ Jackson to put TC on the board. With two outs, Budisalovich’s two-run double gave the Leopards a three-run cushion. Maveryck Lightfoot’s two-out popup was dropped, which scored Budisalovich and Channing Lipe to give TC a 5-0 lead.
Lightfoot’s RBI single in the third inning scored Budisalovich, Hannah Wiggins’ groundout scored Lipe, and Lightfoot scored on a passed ball to increase the Lady Leopards advantage to 8-0.
Allie Cruz’s pinch-hit double scored Kennan Nunamaker in the bottom of the fourth inning to put TC up by nine runs.
Otero scored twice in the fifth inning, on a passed ball and a triple.
Cruz’s second double of the game, in the fifth inning, scored Jackson for the final run of the contest.
The Leopards collected 11 hits, with Cruz, Lipe, and Budisalovich each collecting two hits.
Haley Crawford earned the win in the circle. She pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowed one run on two hits, struck out five, and walked one. Audrie Sayas pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowed one run on one hit, struck out two, and walked one.
In Friday’s second day, the Leopards took on El Paso Community College.
TC set the tone by scoring three runs on the Tejanas in the first inning, as the Leopards crushed EPCC in five innings, 18-0.
Eighteen runs represented the team’s highest run total of the season, as well as the largest margin of victory.
Emily Delgado doubled home Nunamaker and Lily Garcia to crack TC into the run column. Lipe doubled home Delgado to give the Lady Leopards a 3-0 lead.
The Leopards exploded for six runs in the second. Becerra’s RBI double scored Jackson with one out was followed by a Nunamaker double on the next pitch to score Becerra. Garcia’s line-drive single scored Nunamaker, Lipe singled home Garcia, and Lightfoot’s sacrifice fly scored Delgado and Budisalovich to give TC a 9-0 lead.
Another outburst from TC extended the Leopards’ advantage in the third. Becerra’s single scored Jackson to start the rally. TC then executed a double steal that scored Becerra. Delgado’s two-run home scored Nunamaker to give TC a 13-0 lead with one out in the inning.
The Lady Leopards extended their lead on an error, an RBI single by Wiggins, and RBI double by Jackson to give TC a 16-0 lead.
Kendall Gross’ pinch-hit two-run double in the top of the fourth inning increased TC’s advantage to 18 runs.
Jackson and Lipe each went 3-of-4, and Delgado drove home four runs.
Hannah Calhoun went 3 2/3 innings in the circle, allowed two hits and struck out three for the victory. Saya pitched the remaining 1 1/3 innings, allowed one hit and struck out two.
On Saturday, the Lady Leopards took on the Midland College Chaparrals.
Temple scored three times in the first inning and survived an MC rally in the seventh to lock up the three-game sweep at the Bert Massey Classic with a 6-2 over the Chaps.
The win secured Temple’s 15th straight victory to start the season.
Lily Garcia and Emily Garcia crushed back-to-back homers to lead off the second inning. Hannah Wiggins drove home Maveryck Lightfoot to give the Leopards a 3-0 lead.
Bre’ Jackson’s fielder’s choice scored Delgado for TC’s run in the sixth inning. Delgado’s two-run double in the top of the seventh inning extended the lead to six.
Delgado and Garcia each had two hits, and Delgado added three RBI.
Haley Crawford cruised through the first six innings before a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh wrecked the shutout. Crawford came away with the complete game victory, allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out six and walked three.
TC won the final game of the tournament over Coastal Bend College in six innings, 10-2.
The Lady Leopards exit the week at 16-0, as they prepare for a pair of double headers against Trinity Valley Community College, and doubleheaders against Odessa College and Cowley County Community College.
TC Women’s Basketball avenges loss to Cisco, outlasts Wranglers 73-61
The No. 19 Temple College Women’s Basketball team looked to extend their win streak to three games on Feb. 14 in their annual Pink Game against the Cisco College Wranglers.
The Wranglers knocked off the Leopards in their first meeting on Jan. 13, 85-75, which spoiled TC’s 15-0 start and dealt the Leopards their first NTJCAC loss.
The Lady Leopards were pressed early on but were able to close the first half with a healthy run and held off a Cisco streak in the third quarter to emerge victorious over the Wranglers, 73-61.
With TC leading 12-11 with 4:44 left in the first quarter, Cisco closed the quarter at an 11-5 clip to take a five-point lead, 22-17.
The Wranglers led 28-23 when TC went on a 6-0 in a span of 93 seconds to take a 29-28 lead. The Lady Leopards extended the streak to 12-1, as they led at the half, 35-29.
TC led by four points midway through the third quarter when they went on a 12-2 run to take a 56-42 lead into the final period.
The Lady Leopards led by 16 points before the Wranglers clipped the final margin back to 12.
Evelyn Lorenzo led the Lady Leopards with 16 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Aniyah Lewis was a point shy of a double-double, with nine points and 16 rebounds off the bench. Tia Mitchell and Erika Suarez each had 11 points, and Camille Pritchard and Wilashia Burleson each had eight points.
TC Women’s Basketball holds off upset-minded Ranger, 60-58
The No. 19 Temple College Women’s Basketball team hit the road on Saturday to take on the Ranger College Rangers.
The Lady Leopards shook off a cold-shooting first quarter and traded baskets with the Rangers throughout the contest. TC edged the Rangers, 60-58.
Ranger led Temple at the end of the first quarter, 15-11. TC outscored Ranger in the second quarter, 20-16, to land in a halftime tie, 31-31. Ranger nudged out to a one-point lead by the end of the third quarter, 45-44. The Lady Leopards were able to outscore Ranger in the final stanza 16-13 to take home a two-point win.
Wilashia Burleson finished with 23 points and seven rebounds to lead the Leopards. Aniyah Lewis added 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, and Evelyn Lorenzo chipped in 11 points.
The win was TC’s 22nd of the season and improved their NTJCAC record to 9-2. They finish the week in a second-place tie with McLennan, with both schools behind Collin County Community College.
Temple College Men’s Basketball nips Ranger, 81-80
The Temple College Men’s Basketball returned to action on Saturday following a week-long break from NTJCAC play as they traveled to Ranger College.
In a game that featured plenty of back-and-forth action, the Leopards pulled out a one-point win over the Rangers, 81-80.
The teams played to a 41-41 deadlock after the first 20 minutes of play.
Temple was able to grab the lead late and edge the Rangers to grab their first win in their last three games.
Theo Grant led the Leopards with 22 points. Henry Sanchez-Perez scored 15 points and contributed five assists and four rebounds off the bench. Eino Montin added 12 points and six assists.
The Leopards are now 12-12 and 3-6 in NTJCAC play.