Junior left-hander Kevin Lock was stellar on the hill and Temple finally produced some timely hitting as the Wildcats pulled off a 5-3 upset of the Belton Tigers in Wednesday night’s District 13-5A baseball game at Hallford Field.
Temple (6-10 overall, 1-2 13-5A) had won just one of its last 10 games coming in but derailed streaking Belton (16-2, 2-1) with crafty pitching, error-free defense and clutch hitting.
“We had a gut feeling that Kevin would give us a good chance tonight, and he did a great job,” said Wildcats coach Larry Haynes, who made Lock a last-minute starter. “And we finally got a few hits to fall when we needed them. That’s what you need to beat a quality opponent like Belton.”
Lock (2-2) scattered eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. He surrendered three runs, struck out seven batters, walked three and hit one.
“I just found out right before the game that I was going to pitch,” said Lock, who threw 115 pitches before giving way to fellow lefty Michael Lollman with one out in the seventh. “Everything was working well for me, and my team really played well behind me.”
The Tigers totaled 10 hits to the Wildcats’ six but made one error in the third inning - when Temple scored a pair of runs - and two errors in the fifth, when the Wildcats tacked on three.
“When your opponent plays like the New York Yankees, it’s tough to do anything,” Belton coach David Tidwell said. “Kevin Lock did a great job on the mound.
“(Temple) played like they haven’t played all year. When you play with that great emotion and over your head, you’re going to do great things.”
Tigers junior right-hander Nick Wright (3-1) gave up all six hits and was tagged with all five runs, though only two were earned.
Belton third baseman Dillon Newman mishandled a hard-hit grounder with two outs in the third before Lock doubled to left field. Andrew Rayas followed with a single up the middle that drove in Temple’s first runs during district play and gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.
Belton threatened in the fifth when Jarrett Crowell walked and Justin Dechert (3-for-3) singled.
With two away and runners at first and second, Newman slapped a base hit to right, where P.J. Dacus scooped up the ball and gunned down Crowell at the plate.
“We have been playing pretty good defense all along, but hadn’t been scoring many runs,” Haynes said. “Tonight, we finally got the big hits and still played well in the field.”
Dacus got aboard on an error by shortstop Shane Hoelscher to start the fifth, and Abe Garcia reached on a fielder’s choice when Wright’s throw to second was too high to get Dacus.
C.J. Reid singled to load the bases before Lock’s fly ball made it 3-0. Rayas followed with his second run-scoring single to chase Wright, and reliever Jacob Phillipe walked the bases loaded before walking Lollman to force in another run.
“(Wright) was getting the ball up in critical situations,” Tidwell said. “And he knows he needs to keep it down. He just had one of those nights against a team that was sky-high.”
Belton cut it to 5-1 in the sixth on Paul Wilson’s RBI double to right, and the Tigers made it interesting in the seventh.
Dechert banged a triple off the center-field wall, Hoelscher doubled and Newman walked to end Lock’s night.
Seth Alcozer singled off Lollman to load the bases, and Kevin Thornton’s hit to right cut the gap to 5-3.
The Wildcats snuffed out the rally with their second double play of the night. Shortstop Garcia fielded Wilson’s grounder and forced Thornton at second with a toss to Reid, whose throw to first was in time to get Wilson.
“The rivalry pumped us up and we were ready to play,” Lock said. “This is a building block. Now we have to focus on our next game, and hopefully get another win.”
Added Tidwell, whose team had its seven-game winning streak snapped: “It’s not the end of the world. We’re still 16-2. We just hit a bump in the road, and now we have to get ready to go again.”
NOTES: Both teams will play district games at 7 p.m. today. Temple will have Lollman (2-2) on the mound at Harker Heights, and Newman (5-0) will start for Belton at home against Killeen Ellison.
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
