“It was a frustrating couple of days,” Temple coach Larry Hennig said. “We didn’t play as well as we have been.”
The Lady Leopards (30-29) entered the double-elimination tournament on a high note after winning their last five games to finish third in the conference standings, but they failed to build on that momentum with a loss in Friday’s opener to Hill, forcing the elimination game against Vernon.
Sophomore pitcher Jennifer Kurten (7-9) took the loss, allowing four unearned runs as Temple’s defense committed four errors.
Vernon had a 4-0 lead after four innings and with a strong wind blowing in, Hennig knew that his Lady Leopards had their work cut out for them.
“This entire tournament has been dominated by pitching,” he said. “There haven’t been a lot of runs scored. Down 4-0, you can’t sacrifice bunt, have to be real cautious and can’t take as many chances.”
The Lady Leopards finally put together a little rally in the seventh, scoring three unearned runs as well, but couldn’t pull off the win.
“I think we finally ran out of gas,” Hennig said. “But I have to give the girls credit for coming back in the seventh and giving us a chance to tie or win the game.”
Victoria Recek and Courtney DeLaRosa each finished the game with two hits for Temple.
