The No. 15 Temple College Leopards played the final two games of their six-game homestand on Tuesday afternoon as they hosted the Western Texas College Westerners at the Danny Scott Sports Complex.
The Leopards received solid pitching, excellent defense, and timely offense as they swept the twin-bill from the Westerners by scores of 5-0 and 11-1 (five innings).
Temple (16-4) started the doubleheader with lights-out pitching from Izzy Garcia, as she struck two of the first three WTC hitters.
With one out in the bottom of the first, Jasmine Benavidez hit a pitch to right field. The ball drifted over the right fielder's head and into the corner. Benavidez rounded the bases in a sprint and arrived to the plate before the ball got back to the infield for an inside-the-park homer to put Temple up 1-0.
Garcia went on to strikeout four of the next six batters she faced before the Leopards picked up three more runs in the bottom of the third.
Benavidez singled, stole second base and scored on Reese Cottrell's single. Cottrell advanced to second on the throw, and an errant throw to the bag landed in right field as Cottrell came around to score to extend the Leopards' lead to three.
KyLeigh Cambiano singled and scored on Angie DeLeon's fielder's choice to put Temple up 4-0.
The lone offensive threat from WTC in the game came in the top of the fourth. With one out, Laney Vasquez and Briyana Medina singled, and with two outs, Olivia Marks walked to load the bases. Garcia induced a groundout by Lizette Madrid to Benavidez, who flipped a throw Cambiano to get the force out at second and end the threat.
The Leopards responded with their fifth run of the game, as Lexi Dudeczka and Benavidez started the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back singles. Garcia's sacrifice fly scored Dudeczka to make the score 5-0.
Garcia struck out three of the final six batters to round out her complete game with a two-hitter, having struck out a career-high 11 batters and walked one.
Benavidez had three hits and two runs scored, and Cambiano added two hits in Temple's ten-hit outing.
In the second game, Dalanee Ekster got the call in the circle. Ekster pitched around a one-out error and single to induce a flyout and groundout to end the top of the first.
The energy charge was immediate to the Leopards offense, as they responded with a big bottom of the first. Dudeczka singled and Benavidez reached on a fielder's choice to start the rally. Cottrell's single scored Dudeczka to crack the Leopards into the run column. Garcia's sacrifice fly scored Benavidez to double the Leopards' lead. Cambiano singled and, with two outs, DeLeon singled in Cottrell. Marli Kennedy walked to load the bases, and Brooklyn Walton singled home Cambiano to give Temple a 4-0 advantage.
Ekster surrendered a tough one-out walk to Marks in the second inning. She helped herself on the next pitch, as Anely Paz hit a liner back to the circle. Ekster spun around and hit Benavidez with a perfect throw to second base to force out Marks, and Benavidez fired to Cottrell at first for the 1-6-3 double play, which ended the inning.
The Leopards generate a run in the bottom of the inning. Benavidez led off with a triple and scored on Cottrell's line-shot single to left.
Temple added four more runs in the bottom of the third. DeLeon doubled to start the inning. With two outs, Dudeczka singled home DeLeon and took second on the throw. Benavidez followed with a walk, and Cottrell drove home Dudeczka with a single. An errant throw on the play plated Benavidez and landed Cottrell at second. After Garcia was hit by a pitch, Cambiano singled to center which scored courtesy runner Jess Reyes to give Temple a 9-0 lead.
After Cottrell pitched around a leadoff single by Western to start the fourth, the Leopards gave her some more insurance. Dudeczka singled home Kennedy, and Benavidez tripled home Dudeczka to increase Temple's lead to 11-0.
WTC picked up her lone run in the top of the fifth inning. Karissa Juarez led off with a pinch-hit double. After a sacrifice bunt and a Leopards' error, Ava Ramirez's sacrifice fly scored Juarez for the Westerners only run of the day.
Dudeczka and Cottrell had three hits each, and Benavidez, Cambiano, and DeLeon had two hits as part of Temple's 14-hit barrage. Cottrell added three RBI and Dudeczka contributed two.
Ekster picked up the win in the circle, having pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out one. Garcia struck out the lone batter she faced in the third inning. Cottrell pitched two innings, allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out two.,
Benavidez reached base in all eight plate appearances in the doubleheader. She went 5-for-6, homered, tripled twice, singled twice, reached on a fielder's choice, and walked twice. Dudeczka went 5-for-8, and Cambiano went 4-for-6 to lead the way for Temple's offense.
The Leopards will travel to take on No. 10 Paris Junior College on Monday.