staff report
Temple College extended its hot streak Thursday afternoon, scoring 25 first-inning runs – a staggering 17 in Game 2 – and 29 overall in a pair of run-rule wins against Galveston in a non-conference baseball doubleheader at Danny Scott Sports Complex.
The No. 18-ranked Leopards (25-5) beat the Whitecaps 11-1 in the opener and 18-7 in the finale. Both games were scheduled for seven innings but ended in the fifth because of the 10-run rule.
After breaking into the NJCAA Division I national rankings earlier this week, head coach Craig McMurtry's Temple squad is 4-0 this week and 14-1 in its last 15 games.
The Leopards are 9-3 in the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference and entered Friday percentage points ahead of rival McLennan (10-4 NTJCAC) for the league lead. Temple resumes NTJCAC competition next week with a four-game series against Cisco, playing noon doubleheaders at Cisco on Wednesday and in Temple on Saturday.
Freshman right-hander Ulises Quiroga (7-0) pitched another complete-game gem in Thursday's opener against Galveston (6-23) as he won his seventh straight start. The only hit Quiroga allowed was a fifth-inning solo home run that spoiled his shutout bid. He has a 0.98 earned-run average and has 57 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings this season, allowing only 17 hits.
The Leopards' offense gave Quiroga a huge amount of support by exploding for eight runs in the first inning. Clark Henry hit his third home run of the season and drove in four runs, and Tennessee signee Seth Stephenson had two RBI. Joseph Redfield stole two bases and scored three runs, and Travis Chestnut drove in a run, scored two and drew three of Temple's 10 walks. Redfield, Raul Aragon and Ty Tilson added one RBI each for TC, which scored two runs in the fifth to end the game early.
Temple got off to an even more dynamic start in Game 2, pouncing on Galveston for 17 runs in the bottom of the first inning. All nine batters in the Leopards' starting lineup scored two runs, and No. 9 batter Andre Jackson drove in a team-high five runs, including his first home run this season.
Stephenson hit his team-best fourth homer and had three RBI overall. Leading five Leopards with multiple-hit games was Cole Payne, who went 3-for-3 with a double two RBI. Chestnut hit two doubles and drove in a run.
Starter Kolby Wilson (1-0) was the primary beneficiary of the offensive fireworks. He pitched three innings for the win, striking out three and allowing six hits and two runs. Marcus Mott and Diego Fernandez pitched one inning each as Temple again finished off Galveston in five innings.
TC will play a single game against the Mary Hardin-Baylor junior varsity at 3 p.m. Monday at Red Murff Field in Belton.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
THURSDAY
Non-conference
GAME 1
No. 18 Temple College 11,
Galveston 1 (5)
Galveston 000 01 – 1 1 X
Temple 801 02 – 11 4 0
TC: Ulises Quiroga and Sammy Diaz. W – Quiroga (7-0). HR – TC: Clark Henry (3). 3B – TC: Seth Stephenson.
Highlights – TC: Quiroga three strikeouts, one hit allowed in complete game (57 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings pitched this season); Henry four runs batted in, run; Stephenson two RBI, run; Joseph Redfield three runs, two stolen bases, RBI; Travis Chestnut two runs, RBI; Raul Aragon, Ty Tilson RBI, run each.
GAME 2
No. 18 Temple College 18,
Galveston 7 (5)
Galveston 011 32 – 7 8 X
Temple (17)00 1X – 18 15 4
TC: Kolby Wilson, Marcus Mott (4), Diego Fernandez (5) and Andruw Gonzales. HR – TC: Seth Stephenson (4), Andre Jackson (1). 2B – TC: Travis Chestnut 2, Cole Payne, Jackson.
Highlights – TC: Scored 17 runs in first inning; Jackson 2-for-2, five runs batted in, two runs; Payne 3-for-3, two RBI; two runs; Stephenson 2-for-2, three RBI, two runs; Chestnut 2-for-2, RBI, two runs; Ty Tilson 2-for-2, two runs; Gonzales RBI, two runs; Clark Henry, Robert Shaw, David Wilson two runs each.
Records – Temple 25-5; Galveston 6-23.
Notes – Temple extends winning streak to four games and is 14-1 in its last 15 games; TC plays the Mary Hardin-Baylor junior varsity at 3 p.m. Monday in Belton; TC begins a four-game Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference series vs. Cisco with a doubleheader at noon next Wednesday in Cisco and will host Cisco in a doubleheader at noon next Saturday at Danny Scott Sports Complex.