The Temple Wildcats will head out on the road to face off against the Copperas Cove Bulldawgs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Temple proved they can win big on Friday (they won by 19) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Bryan, sneaking past 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Wildcats have posted since March 19, 2024.
Brooke Knox made a big impact no matter where she played. She pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those zero hits allowed gave her a new career-low. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jordyn Valdez, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Saniya Maxwell was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Copperas Cove entered their tilt with Shoemaker on Tuesday with four consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with five. They never let the Wolves get on the board and left with an 11-0 win. 11 seems to be a good number for the Bulldawgs as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Like Temple, Copperas Cove also got a great game from a two-way player: Janell Gray. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Gray has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, Copperas Cove got a massive performance out of Isabella Hunt, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with four RBI and one run. Those five hits gave Hunt a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brenna Butler, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Copperas Cove always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Shoemaker only posted an OBP of .130.
Temple is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-6-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. Copperas Cove's record is now 9-5.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Temple hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .367. However, it's not like Copperas Cove struggles in that department as they've averaged .462. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Temple suffered a grim 9-1 defeat to Copperas Cove when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can Temple avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
