The Temple College Leopards softball team, ranked seventh in the latest NJCAA Division Top 25 poll, hosted No. 4 Grayson College in the final two games of their four-game series.
Reese Cottrell walked off Grayson with a grand slam in the first game and the Leopards held off a potential Grayson rally in the second game to sweep the doubleheader and take the season series, 3-1.
Scores of the doubleheader were 10-1 (five innings) and 4-2.
Temple improved their season record to 31-5 and 11-1 in North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference play.
Grayson dropped to 31-7 overall and 10-6 in NTJCAC play.
Kat Kram started off solid in the circle, having retired nine of the first ten batters she faced.
The Leopards touched up Grayson starting pitcher Natalie Moreaux in the bottom of the first. Lexi Dudecka walked to lead off the inning. With one out, Cottrell belted a full-count fastball over the left field wall to put the Leopards up 2-0. On the next pitch, Kaiyah Ratu blasted a fastball over the left field wall to increase Temple's lead to 3-0. KyLeigh Cambiano walked, and Ryley Litchfield and Marli Kennedy were hit by pitches to load the bases. Moreaux struck out Brooklyn Walton to end the inning.
Following a single by Matti Matthews and double by Mia Krueger, Matthews scored on an error to put the Vikings on the board.
Walton's single with one out in the fourth inning set up Jasmine Benavidez's RBI single to stretch the Leopards' lead back to three.
With two outs in the fifth, Litchfield tripled down the left field line. Autumn Simmons came on to pinch hit for Kennedy and went down 0-2 in the count. Simmons battled back to draw an 11-pitch walk. Kennedy re-entered to run for Simmons and helped execute a double-steal with Litchfield to give Temple a four-run lead. Walton singled, Dudeczka singled home Kennedy and Benavidez walked to load the bases. On an 0-1 fastball, Cottrell blasted a pitch over the left field wall for a walk-off grand slam home run.
Cottrell went 3-of-4 with two homers, six RBI and two runs scored to lead Temple. Benavidez and Walton each had two hits.
Kram allowed an unearned run on three hits, struck out seven, and walked one to pick up the five-inning, complete-game victory.
Moreaux took the loss in the circle, having pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowed eight runs on ten hits, struck out five, walked two and hit two batters. Kynnedy Guthrie faced two batters, walked one and gave up the grand slam.
Izzy Garcia got the start in game two and retired the side in order in the top of the first.
Dudeczka and Benavidez started the first inning with singles, and Cottrell singled home Dudeczka to give Temple a 1-0 lead.
Willa Ford singled and Layla Sons walked to put Garcia in a two-out jam in the second. Garcia induced a groundout to keep Grayson off the board.
Kennedy's one-out single and stolen base set up Walton's double to increase the Leopards lead to two runs.
Matthews' doubled home Aniyah Pequeno to clip Temple's lead to a run in the top of the third.
While Garcia continued to plow through the Grayson order, her offense got her help. Kennedy tripled with two outs in the fourth and cored on Walton's infield single.
Jess Reyes singled home Benavidez in the fifth inning to wrap the scoring.
Excellent defensive plays by Kennedy in center, Walton in left, Cambiano at second base, and Benavidez at shortstop helped keep the Vikings at bay.
Cottrell and Walton each had two hits in Temple's nine-hit output. Walton drove in two runs, and Kennedy scored twice.
Garcia picked up the complete-game win, having pitched seven innings, allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits, walked two, and struck out one.
Riley Mays took the loss for Grayson, having pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowed four runs on nine hits, walked three and struck out two. Carolyn Koval pitched an inning of relief, struck out two and hit two.
The Leopards will host Ranger College on Wednesday in conference doubleheader action at the Danny Scott Sports Complex.