WAXAHACHIE, TX — The Temple Tem-Cats saw their 2026 postseason journey come to an end on Saturday afternoon, falling 11-2 to the third-ranked Waxahachie Lady Indians. The loss at Waxahachie High School secured a 2-0 series sweep for the Lady Indians, following their 17-0 victory in Game 1 on Friday night.
Despite the lopsided score in the series opener, the Tem-Cats showed resilience in Game 2, fighting through a difficult start to find their rhythm at the plate against one of the state's premier pitching staffs.
Early Momentum Favors Waxahachie
The Lady Indians wasted no time asserting their dominance in front of the home crowd. In the bottom of the first inning, Waxahachie erupted for five runs to take a commanding early lead. The surge was highlighted by a Michaela Landers triple that brought home two runners. Defensive miscues and a passed ball further aided the Waxahachie rally, while Maci Barnes added an RBI groundout to make it 5-0 after just one frame.
Waxahachie extended the lead to 7-0 in the third inning, taking advantage of a Temple error to keep the pressure on.
The Battle in the Circle
Brenna Thomas started for Temple, navigating a high-powered lineup for three innings. While she allowed seven runs, only two were earned, as the Tem-Cat defense struggled at times to provide support. Thomas surrendered two hits and four walks during her outing.
On the other side, Waxahachie’s Maci Barnes delivered a stellar performance. Barnes went the distance, striking out nine batters over seven innings. While she gave up five hits and five walks, she remained poised under pressure to limit the damage.
Temple Finds a Spark
Trailing 9-0 in the fifth inning, the Tem-Cats finally broke through against Barnes. London Armour, who reached base in every plate appearance, cracked an RBI double to put Temple on the board. Brenna Thomas followed suit with an RBI single, cutting the deficit to 9-2.
The Tem-Cats displayed disciplined eyes at the plate all afternoon, drawing five walks as a team. Armour led the way with two walks to go along with her double.
Top Performers for Temple:
Brenna Thomas: 2-for-3, RBI
London Armour: 1-for-1, 2 BB, 2B, RBI
Ava Machuca: 1-for-3, Run Scored
Sha’Kyhria Freeman: 1-for-4
Waxahachie Closes it Out
The Lady Indians’ offense was led by Michaela Landers, who went 3-for-4, and Cicely Thompson, who drove in three runs. Brooklyn Parlapiano and Barnes also contributed multi-hit games to Waxahachie’s 10-hit total.
"The Tem-Cats showed great patience at the plate today, but the early mountain built by a top-ranked Waxahachie squad was just too high to climb."
Looking Ahead
Temple concludes their season with a respectable 14-16-1 record. While the Bi-District round provided a tough draw against the #3 team in the state, the experience of postseason play serves as a building block for the program.
The Waxahachie Lady Indians (35-1) advance to the Area Round of the Class 6A playoffs, where they are scheduled to face Royse City.
