The Wildcats’ bats were nearly silent yet again. And Copperas Cove bashed the baseball all around Hallford Field, highlighted by a 14-run sixth inning.
That combination left Temple on the wrong end of a 19-1 thrashing that was ended in the sixth inning because of the 10-run mercy rule and sent the Wildcats to their fifth straight loss.
“It was disappointing,” Temple coach Larry Haynes said.
It certainly was - and on many levels.
First, because the Wildcats (4-11, 0-2) believed they were battling Cove, among others, for one of the District 12-5A’s four playoff spots. A lopsided loss against another middle-tier team that also kept Temple winless to start district play doesn’t help their chances.
And second, because Haynes said his team picked up momentum from Tuesday’s 2-1 loss at College Station A&M Consolidated, knowing it could hang with a district championship contender.
The Bulldawgs (10-4, 2-0) erased any of that positive energy with an explosive offensive show.
Cove pounded out 18 hits against four Temple pitchers, including eight for extra bases, and 19 of its 22 baserunners scored.
Every Bulldawg had at least one hit and scored at least once, led by third baseman Billy Mee. Mee went 3-for-4 - including a sixth-inning grand slam - and had five RBI and scored three runs. Right fielder Matt Garrett also had three hits and four Bulldawgs had two hits each.
In that 14-run sixth inning, Cove had 11 hits and nearly sent one batter to the plate three times. It turned what had been a relatively tight 5-1 game into a demoralizing rout.
It was the kind of team-wide performance at the plate that Cove coach Brian Jost knew his team was capable of.
“We’ve been waiting on it,” he said. “When’s the whole thing going to come together? It did.”
Temple had a chance to grab the lead early but couldn’t convert against Cody Brannon, who allowed just four hits in a complete game.
The Wildcats had a chance to get on the scoreboard first when they loaded the bases in the third inning, but catcher Joel Shillingburg popped out to shortstop Jared Jones, who stepped on second base to double up Temple’s Kevin Lock to end the inning.
Trailing 4-0 in the fourth, third baseman Andrew Rayas led off with a 375-foot home run to left field, but a base-running mistake with one on ended the inning.
Temple hasn’t had trouble getting runners on base; getting them home has been another matter. In five straight losses, the Wildcats have scored just five runs. For the season, Temple averages just more than three runs per game.
“We need to be more competitive,” Haynes said, “especially at the plate.”
Temple will travel to Killeen Ellison next Tuesday and Harker Heights on Friday.
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
