The Temple Wildcat Baseball team rallied from a 7-4 deficit in the 6th inning to defeat the Lockhart Lions by a score of 8-7 to open the 2025 season at Hallford Field on Monday evening.

Lockhart erased a 4-2 Wildcat lead in the top of the sixth with a grand slam that gave the Lions a 7-4 lead going to the bottom of the sixth.

Needing to recover quickly, Cisco Gonzales and Adrian Scott led off the bottom of the sixth with singles. Jaden Fuentes and Anthony Ramos each placed down bunts that were not fielded cleanly and cut into the Lion lead at 7-6. Xavier Tools then reached on a bunt single bringing home the tying run. Following a Lezlie Jackson strikeout, Jacob Perez laid down the fourth bunt of the inning and successfully brought home the lead run at 8-6.

Champ Mayo, who gave up the sixth inning grand slam returned for the seventh shut down the three Lion batters he faced while striking out a pair.

After trailing 1-0 in the third, Temple plated 4 runs in the bottom of the third courtesy of a Lezlie Jackson 2-run double, Jacob Perez sac fly and a Cisco Gonzales RBI single.

Temple picked up seven hist on the night with Xavier Tools going 2-3 with an RBI and run scored; Cisco Gonzales 2-4, RBI, run scored; Lezlie Jackson 1-4, double 2 RBI; Jacob Perez, 1 -3, 2 RBI and Adrian Scott 1-3 with a run scored.

Jaden Fuentes started and went 4 innings giving up 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out seven and Champ Mayo closed out the game going 3 innings and giving up five runs on one hit and 5 strikeouts. All seven runs by the Lions were unearned.

Temple returns to action on Tuesday with a road game at Weiss High School vs. Leander Glenn at 2:30.