By Tony Adams, for Temple College
The seasons are winding down for Temple College basketball teams, while the baseball and softball programs continue their early-season schedules. A key highlight of the past week was Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach Craig McMurtry’s 800th victory, notched against Galveston College on Saturday.
This week in Leopards Athletics
- On Monday, TC Baseball will have a nine-inning non-conference game against Navarro College in Corsicana. Game time at Bulldogs Field is slated for 1 p.m.
- On Wednesday, the TC Softball team will start its North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC) schedule against Grayson College. Doubleheader action will begin in Denison at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
- On Friday, TC baseball starts a three-game series against Midland College in Midland. Game one is Friday at 4 p.m. Game two is Saturday at noon, and game three will be 30 minutes after game two.
- Saturday will be Sophomore Day for the Temple Basketball program as they host the Hill College Rebels. The women will take the floor at 2 p.m., followed by the men at 4 p.m.
- The TC Softball team will complete their four-game conference opening series against Grayson on Saturday at the Danny Scott Sports Complex. Game one will start at noon, with game two to start 30 minutes after game one.
Here is the recap of the busy week in Temple College Athletics
TC Softball goes 6-2 for the week
The Temple College Softball team took a 16-game winning streak into Monday’s doubleheader against Trinity Valley Community College at the Danny Scott Sports Complex.
The Lady Leopards scored 37 runs between the two games, as TC swept the doubleheader to extend their win streak to 18. The scores of the game were 19-4 (five innings) and 18-12.
Maveryck Lightfoot had a homer, three hits and four runs batted in; Alyssa Budisalovich drove home three runs on three hits; Adelyn Becerra added four hits; and Lily Garcia contributed three hits in the rout.
Haley Crawford picked up the win in the circle, allowing four runs on five hits.
In the second game, TC took a 9-1 lead in the bottom of the second. Trinity scored nine runs over the next four innings to take a 10-9 lead.
TC bounced back in the bottom of the fifth with four runs, which was answered with three more by the Cardinals to tie the game at 12-12 going into the bottom of the sixth.
The Lady Leopards scored six runs to put the game out of reach.
Lightfoot had two homers and six runs batted in; Garcia added two homers, five RBI and four runs scored; and Becerra chipped in three hits.
Crawford picked up the win in relief.
The teams met up in Athens for a doubleheader on Wednesday.
The Cardinals scored runs in the first five innings and dealt the Lady Leopards their first loss of the season in the first game, 7-2.
Jaeden Burnham drove home three runs and Abby Hollingworth added a multi-RBI game to pace the Cardinals.
Lightfoot and Kendall Gross homered for the Lady Leopards, as Emily Delgado took her first loss of the season in the circle.
In the second game, TC erased a three-run lead with a six-run fourth inning and used a five-run seventh inning to put the game away with a 13-6 win.
Becerra, Gross and Elise Munoz homered in the game, with Becerra and Munoz each driving home four runs, and Gross belting home three runs.
Audrie Sayas picked up the win in relief.
On Friday, the Leopards hosted Odessa College at the Danny Scott Sports Complex in a doubleheader.
The teams combined for five runs in the first inning and the Lady Leopards picked up a run in the sixth inning to win game one, 4-2.
Down 2-0 in the first, Becerra doubled with one out, and scored on an infield single by Delgado. Following a single by Budisalovich, Lightfoot drilled a two-run single up the middle to give the Lady Leopards a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Hannah Wiggins walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a ground out and scored on Becerra’s single up the middle for an insurance run.
Becerra, Delgado and Budisalovich each picked up two hits.
Crawford picked up the complete game win, as she allowed two runs on two hits, walked four, and struck out five.
In the second game, a five-run third inning by Odessa created a big hole that the Lady Leopards could not crawl out of as they fell to the Wranglers, 8-4.
Munoz had two runs batted in, and Becerra and Budisalovich each had two hits.
Calhoun picked the loss in the circle for TC.
On Sunday, the Leopards hosted NJCAA Div. II Cowley County (KS) College.
The Leopards jumped out to an early start in the first game and held off the Tigers in both ends of the doubleheader, having won 12-4 (five innings) and 8-3.
TC scored eight runs in the first inning. Becerra continued her torrid pace with a two-run homer. Budisalovich singled home a run, Lightfoot followed with an RBI double, Munoz and Jackson added RBI singles, and Becerra drove home two more runs to complete the inning.
Wiggins singled home Budisalovich and Jackson’s ground out scored Lipe to tack on two more runs in the second.
Following Cowley’s two-run third, Becerra added a solo homer and Delgado scored on an error to reestablish a 10-run lead.
The Tigers scored twice in the top of the fifth but could not push the opening game out of run-rule territory.
Jackson and Becerra each had two hits, with Becerra driving in five runs.
Crawford picked up the win in the circle, yielding two runs on three hits, one walk, and struck out five. Sayas closed the game with two innings of relief.
Cowley took a 2-0 lead the first inning and held the lead until TC answered when Lipe doubled home Budisalovich and Munoz’s sacrifice fly plated Lipe.
The Tigers had a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third before TC took the lead for good. Delgado singled home Becerra, and Garcia scored to put the Leopards up 4-3.
Becerra doubled home Jackson, Budisalovich’s sacrifice fly scored Becerra, Anissa Hill singled in Garcia, and Paige Findley scored on an error to complete the scoring in the fifth.
TC picked up nine hits, with Becerra having picked up two hits.
Sayas, Delgado and Findley combined to scatter sixth hits in the circle.
The Leopards completed the week with a 6-2 record and are 22-2 overall.
TC Baseball takes three of four from Galveston College
Temple College Baseball had a four-game series with the Galveston College Whitecaps, which started with a doubleheader on Wednesday in Galveston.
The Leopards and Whitecaps split the twin-bill, as Galveston won the opener with a 4-0 shutout. In the second game, TC bounced back with a 6-3 win.
Galveston scored three runs in the first game of the opener to set the tone for their win.
In the second game, Wilson Woodcox had three hits and Mason Ashlock drove in two runs to pace the Leopards.
Zak Johnson earned the win, as he pitched three innings, picked up two runs on three hits and struck out three. Jose Michael Ramirez picked up the save, as he allowed one run on one hit, walked three, and struck out in four innings of relief.
On Saturday, the teams met up at the Danny Scott Sports Complex for the second doubleheader of the four-game series.
The Leopards earned the doubleheader sweep, as TC took game one 5-2 and Garrett Baumann tossed a complete game three-hitter and got a three-run, opposite field homer from Andrew Ermis to earn the win in the second game, 4-0.
In the first game, Mason Peters picked up the win, as he allowed a run on two hits, walked two and struck out four. Cole Marthiljohni picked up the save, having allowed one run on one hit, walked one, and struck out three.
Wilson Woodcox’s sacrifice fly in the first put TC on the board, and Jake Weaver added a sacrifice fly in the second.
After Galveston sliced the margin in half, Russell scored on an error in the fifth, and Russell singled home Owen Farris in the sixth.
In the second game, Baumann struck out a batter in all seven innings.
Ashlock and Trent Rucker singled with one out in the fourth inning. On a 2-1 fastball from Galveston starting pitcher Jacob Cyr, Ermis blasted a fly ball to right field that carried over the wall to give TC a 3-0 lead.
Ashlock added an RBI double to score Tabor in the fifth.
The second win on Saturday earned TC head coach Craig McMurtry his 800th victory of his career.
TC Women’s Hoops takes win over SWCC, falls at No. 10 MCC
The No. 17 Temple College Women’s Basketball team had a split this week, as they defeated Southwest Christian Community College at home on Wednesday, 73-60, and dropped a road test in Waco at No. 10 McLennan Community College, 104-70.
Against Southwestern, the Rams and Lady Leopards played close early, with TC grabbing a 33-30 halftime lead.
In a similar fashion that they took the game over in Terrell, TC outscored Southwestern in the third quarter, 25-11, and led the game going into the fourth period, 58-41.
Evelyn Lorenzo had a monster night with 29 points. Camille Pritchard had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
At Waco on Saturday, TC went head-to-head with MCC.
The Highlassies jumped out to a big lead and outscored the Lady Leopards in the first three quarters. MCC led 26-15 at the end of the first quarter, 51-33 at halftime, and at the end of three quarters, 82-45.
Burleson scored 19 points and nine rebounds to lead the Leopards. Lorenzo added 14 points, and Pritchard contributed 13 points and eight rebounds.
The TC Women finished the week with a 23-3 record overall and 10-3 mark in NTJCAC play.
TC Men’s Basketball sweeps Southwestern, MCC
The Temple College Men’s Basketball program began the week by hosting the Southwestern Christian Community College Rams.
Theo Grant racked up 30 points and Henry Sanchez-Perez added 19 points off the bench as the Leopards outlasted the Rams, 86-78.
The Leopards led by 12 points at halftime, 45-33, and led by as many as 16 points.
Andrew Iyamah added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, Caleb Gaston chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds, and J’Rayl Peoples pulled two 12 rebounds.
In Waco on Saturday, Theo Grant scored a season-high 44 points, which included 18-of-21 from the free throw line, as the Leopards defeated MCC, 107-104.
McLennan lead TC at the half, 56-45. The Leopards caught fire in the second half, as they outscored the Highlanders in the second half, 62-47.
Eino Montin had a double-double with 15 points and 15 assists. Jacob Taitte added 15 points, and Andrew Iyamah scored eight points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
TC was 28-of-37 from the charity stripe.
The TC Men finished the week with a 14-12 record overall and improved to 5-6 in conference play.