Baseball - Vernon sweeps struggling TC
The Temple Daily Telegram reported that the Temple College baseball team's late-season slide continued
on Wednesday, as Vernon beat the visiting Leopards 11-1 and 12-7 in Northern Texas Junior College
Athletic Conference play.
Fifth place TC fell to 21-22 overall and 11-5 in conference games with three NTJCAC doubleheaders
remaining. Third-place Vernon improved to 31-12 and 17-9.
"We're in a pretty ugly situation," said Temple coach Craig McMurtry, whose team needs to finish at least
fourth to make the NJCAA Region V Tournament.
"We'll probably have to win out and hope (fourth-place) Collin County loses."
In the opener, Vernon pounced on TC pitcher Josh Harris (5-5) for three runs in the first and third innings
and two in the second. Daniel Anderson homered for the Leopards, who committed three errors.
In the second game, the Chaparrals wiped out a 2-0 TC lead with three runs in the second inning against
Jason Condel (3-3) and six in the third. The Leopards, who made four errors, got two homers from Thomas
Melvin and one from Andrew Kasparek.
"We just haven't hit the ball or made the (defensive) plays," McMurtry said. "We have six conference
games left, and we have to win them all."
Golf - Leopards finish third in conference tournament
The Temple Daily Telegram reported that with two good rounds on Monday at the Texas State
Championship, the Temple College men's golf team put itself in position to make a run at the Northern
Texas Junior College Athletic Conference title in the final round.
But it didn't happen for the Leopards at San Angelo's Quicksand Golf Course. They shot a 20-over-par 308
to finish with a 54-hole total of 891 strokes, 11 behind McLennan and three behind Weatherford. Temple
trailed McLennan by five shots and led Weatherford by five entering the day.
"Most teams played better today except for us," Leopards coach Bill Willis said. "It just wasn't there. If we
had played the way we did in the first two rounds, we could have caught them (MCC).
TC sophomore Brad Besler shot a final-round 74 for a 216 total, one stroke behind winner Garry Antunes
of MCC. Casey Carnes, NJCAA Division II's top-ranked player entering the spring, shot a 77 to take third
at 218. Both players earned all-conference and all-state honors.
Cisco, the only team Temple needs to score lower than in the state tournament and in the NJCAA Region V
Tournament in one week, shot a 54-hole 1,004. Odessa won the overall title with an 872, five better than
Paris, and boasted the overall individual winner in John Wine (211).