By Tony Adams, for Temple College
The Temple College Leopards closed out their regular season schedule on Wednesday afternoon as they hosted the DFW Post Grad team at the Danny Scott Athletic Complex.
The Leopards’ pitching staff allowed just one hit in 10 innings of work, and offense collaborated on a 26-run attack to win the doubleheader by scores of 15-0 and 11-0, each game going 4 ½ innings.
DFW’s lone hit of the day came on an infield single from leadoff batter Cayden Ortiz in the top of first inning off Leopards starter Garrett Baumann. After a pair of ground balls that moved Ortiz to third base, Baumann struck out Josh Jones to strand Ortiz.
Trent Rucker gave the Leopards a lead they would not relinquish, as he hit a 2-1 offering from DFW starter Reynaldo Rivera deep over the left field wall to start the bottom of the first.
The Leopards continued the barrage with a pair of RBI singles by Hogan Heller and Dawson French. Colby Christian smashed a three-run homer over the right-centerfield wall, and Brian Williams’ sacrifice fly capped the inning with the Leopards having claimed a 7-0 lead.
While Baumann worked successfully through the DFW lineup, the Leopards tacked on three runs in the bottom of the second. Simon Larranaga’s solo shot with one out, and Christian’s two-run homer with two outs increased the Leopards’ lead to 10 runs.
The Leopards added five runs in the bottom of the third. Rucker contributed an RBI double, Cole Tabor, Larranaga and French chipped in RBI singles, and Christian added a two-run single to give the team a 15-0 lead.
Tyler Cooper pitched a scoreless fifth, which included two strikeouts, to end the first game in run-rule fashion.
Christian led the offensive pace with three hits, which included two homers and seven runs batted in. Larranaga added three hits and two runs driven in. TC combined for 14 hits in the game, having left on two runners on.
Baumann went four innings for the win, allowed one hit, struck out six and did not walk a batter.
DFW was able to get the leadoff batters on in the first three innings and stranded all three at third base.
Christian Okerholm got the start for TC in the second game and retired all 12 batters that he faced, striking out seven.
Rucker’s leadoff triple set the table again for another prolific first inning for the Leopards. Tabor’s RBI groundout scored Rucker to get TC on the board. An error and a walk set up French’s RBI single, and back-to-back RBI doubles by Christian and Jake Weaver gave the Leopards a 5-0 lead.
TC mirrored their five-run output in the first inning with another five runs in the second. Rucker’s second solo homer of the day led the rally. Tabor’s triple was followed by back-to-back RBI doubles from Larranaga and Heller. Okerholm’s two-run double pushed TC’s lead to double-digits, 10-0.
Heller’s RBI single in the third inning scored Rucker. However, the Leopards were unable to add to the lead, and left the bases loaded.
Cooper came on in the fifth inning. Ben Barrones broke up the perfect game by reaching base on an error. Cooper retired the next three batters to keep the combined no-hitter intact.
Rucker and Heller each had two hits, as the Leopards churned out 10 hits and left five runners on base. Rucker also scored three times, and Larranaga and Heller scored twice.
For the doubleheader, the Leopards scored 26 times and drilled 24 hits in eight offensive innings, which included 14 extra base hits. They batted through the lineup four times.
Temple College (35-17 overall) will be in action at the Region 5 North Tournament in Weatherford. The tournament field will be announced next week once conference play is completed.
ABOUT TEMPLE COLLEGE
Temple College is “Your Community’s College,” a dynamic and growing community college that equips thousands of Central Texas students with the knowledge and skills for 21st-century success. Temple College, which has campuses in Temple, Hutto and Taylor, offers more than 75 degree and certificate programs to students who seek to earn credits for transfer, graduate with an associate degree, or complete a certificate for fast entry into the workforce.
Founded in 1926, Temple College has enjoyed a reputation for academic excellence for 97 years. It is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs, from visual and performing arts to competitive athletics. The College has become one of the state’s premiere institutions for healthcare providers’ education and training, advanced manufacturing, and workforce development programs. The faculty and staff are committed to providing exceptional quality instruction.