The Temple College softball team defeated North Central Texas College 7-6 in the championship game at the Region V North conference tournament to punch their ticket back to St. George, Utah for back to back seasons. The game was scoreless through three innings before NCTC got on the board first with a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the fourth. The Leopards responded with a run to tie in the bottom of the fourth. MacKenzie Purcell led off with a single and Lenzi Stewart bunted Purcell into scoring position. Maddie Weatherly hit a line shot in the gap for a double to score Purcell. NCTC took a one-run lead back again in the top of the fifth, and again the Leopards responded with two runs to take the lead after five complete innings. Alyssa Escamilla and Savanna Parker both singled before Purcell stepped back up to the plate and smacked a two RBI double. In the sixth, Leopard relief pitcher Taylor Gruell got into a jam and allowed four runs before getting out of the inning. The Leopards didn't seem fazed and again answered back with three runs to tie the game at six a piece. Weatherly led off the bottom of the sixth with a hit-by-pitch and Ava McCoy reached on an error. The Leopards then made two quick outs before Tiler Noyola hit an RBI single to keep the inning going. Parker then doubled to score McCoy and Noyola to tie the game going into the seventh. Leopard starting pitcher Breanna Hernandez came back into the game to start the seventh and was able to give the Leopards a 1-2-3 inning. Stewart got things going for the Leopards by reaching on a walk followed by Weatherly reaching on an error and Stewart was able to get to third base on the error. McCoy was able to drive in Stewart with a sac fly to end the game. Hernandez got the win in 5.1 innings of work. Noyola, Parker, Purcell, and Weatherly all had two hits apiece.
The Leopards were able to make it through the tournament undefeated. Saturday they defeated Weatherford College 10-1 in five innings, Sunday defeated NCTC 7-3, and today won the back-and-forth battle 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh. This win punched the ticket back to St. George, Utah for the National Tournament May 22-25 and a chance to defend their national title.