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Bulldogs rally for win over Bears
turlock baseball
Turlock sophomore Jon Temple gets ready to deliver a pitch against Merced High in Fridays home CCC win. Temple started the game and picked up the win. - photo by EDDIE RUIZ / The Journal

After falling to Central California Conference foe Merced High on Wednesday, 3-2, the Turlock Bulldogs bounced right back on Friday as the picked up the win with the help of starting pitcher, sophomore Jon Temple.

Temple’s six shutout innings, along with his two RBIs, would suffice as the ‘Dogs (7-2, 3-1) shutout the Bears, 7-0, leading their way into today's non-league matchup against Lincoln High.

“We were disappointed after Wednesday’s performance where we struck out a lot and left guys on base all day long. So we worked on that on Thursday to come prepared and today they put the ball in play and made good things happen,” Turlock head coach Mark de la Motte said.

The Bears threat came in the fourth inning with two outs after a double steal attempt, but the Bulldogs’ Gavin Gaffaney would threw out the runner at home as Brett Cumberland made a great ground save to end the inning.

Cumberland scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first after Gaffaney struck out a RBI sac-fly to deep left field.

Six of the nine starters for Turlock came away with a hit as the Bulldogs outhit the Bears 7 to 2.

A one-run inning in the fourth was followed by a three-run fifth. The final two runs were tacked on in the sixth with two outs as Cumberland scored after the catcher mishandled a wild pitch. Austin Bush’s RBI single scored Nick Benson for the seventh and final run of the game.

“It was big to come out here and do what we did, and our team showed up to play and the CCC better watch out,” Temple said.

Temple picked up the win for the 'Dogs, as he allowed only two walks and struck out five. Blake Cederlind closed the game in the final inning as he walked one and got all three outs by way of groundouts.

“I just came out mentally prepared, just living moment to moment; that was my game plan and looking at the scouting report as well. It was important to get ahead of guys and work off my fastball, which gave me confidence to go out here and shove and I feel like I did that,” Temple said.

The defense, which has been great thus far this year, committed only one error for the day, but that did not affect the outcome as no runs were allowed.

“So far, we have been pretty well on defense. We were happy because we played a lot better than Wednesday,” de la Motte said. “We're trying to keep the momentum going and keep it rolling for next week because that is what matters.”