The Temple College softball team, ranked seventh in the latest NJCAA Division I Top 25 poll, traveled to Denison on Wednesday to take on No. 4 Grayson College in NTJCAC series between top ten powerhouses.
Temple dominated the opener before Grayson used a big rally in the second game to clinch a split in the doubleheader.
The Leopards won game one in six innings, 10-2. The Vikings took game two, 11-6.
KyLeigh Cambiano's walk in the opening inning scored Lexi Dudeczka to get Temple on the board. Ryley Litchfield belted a pitch over the left field wall for a grand slam to give Temple a 5-0 lead before Grayson's offense could get to the plate.
Jasmine Benavidez hit homers in consecutive at-bats, as she hit a solo homer in the second inning and three-run blast in the fourth to put Temple up 9-0.
Jaclyn Draeger's two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth pushed the game out of run-rule for two innings before Kaiyah Ratu's single that scored Dudeczka in the sixth put the game back into mercy rule.
Kat Kram was able to get the final outs to clinch the complete game victory. She pitched six innings, allowed two runs on six hits, struck out seven, and walked three.
Litchfield and Benavidez each knocked in four runs. Benavidez also had three hits and scored three runs along with Dudeczka.
Willa Ford had two of Grayson's six hits.
Natalie Moreaux took the loss for the Vikings. She pitched three innings, allowed nine runs on seven hits, struck out five, walked three, and hit two batters. Kynnedy Guthrie pitched three innings in relief, allowed a run on two hits, and walked one.
Reese Cottrell's solo homer in the first inning gave Temple a 1-0 lead. Benavidez's two-run homer increased the Leopards' lead to 3-0.
Grayson's eight-run third is the largest single-inning output against Temple this season. Homers by Paisley Needham, Draeger, and Ford, and doubles by Mia Krueger and Brynlie Dunkin accounted for the output as the Leopards trailed 8-3.
Angie DeLeon's two-run single in the top of the fifth pulled the Leopards back to within three runs.
Draeger and Addisyn Cox had two-run singles in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
The Leopards scored a run on a double play in the top of the seventh.
Dudeczka and Benavidez each had two hits. Benavidez and DeLeon each drove home two runs.
Temple pitching combined to allow 11 runs on 12 hits, five walks, two strikeouts, and hit batter.
Krueger, Draeger, Dunkin, and Matti Matthews each had two hits. Drager dove in three runs, and Dunkin, Cox and Krueger each added two RBI.
Temple College (29-5 overall, 9-1 NTJCAC) and Grayson College (31-5 overall, 10-4 NTJCAC) will meet up on Friday at the Danny Scott Sports Complex for a noon doubleheader.