“We were pushed to the edge today,” Temple coach Larry Hennig said. “But the girls never folded, so that’s good.”
The Lady Leopards (37-14, 15-1) had little trouble handling Ranger in the first game as pitcher Caitlin Austin (19-4) struck out 10 and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning.
Temple got two runs apiece in the third and fourth innings, highlighted by a two-run home run by Yesenia Torres.
Lindsay Matt and Emily Gallia had two hits each as well.
But the second game was a little closer as Ranger fought back from a 4-1 deficit to tie it and force extra innings.
Matt hit the game-winning triple in the ninth, scoring McKenzie Sickler. Then she added the insurance run on a ground out by Gallia.
Ranger never threatened in the ninth. But it did threaten an inning earlier by loading the bases with no outs. But solid pitching by Kayla Shepherd (15-7) got the Lady Leopards out of the jam.
“We’re one hit away from losing this,” Hennig said. “It was interesting. You have to give Kayla credit she wasn’t bothered by it and just hung in there.”
Matt added four hits in the second game to finish the day 6-for-7.
