BRENHAM, Texas – Offense was no problem for Blinn College baseball Saturday afternoon as the Buccaneers combined to score 22 runs in a pair of victories over Frank Phillips College by the score of 9-1 and 13-12 at Leroy Dreyer Ballpark in Brenham.
The Buccaneers earned the weekend sweep of Frank Phillips and now have won five consecutive games to improve their overall record to 5-3.
“I was a little disappointed in our effort early on but then we got going later in the first game,” said Blinn coach Harvey McIntyre. “We have come leaps and bounds from a week ago and we still have room to improve.”
Blinn 9 – Frank Phillips 1
In the opening game, Nick Masarik pitched his second consecutive strong start to get the win as he went all seven innings while allowing three hits and striking out 12 batters.
“I think that my preparation is allowing me to put together a solid start,” Masarik said. “I gave up a run early on but I knew that if I could keep it at one run then my teammates would have my back and they did.”
Patrick King, Jay Anderson and Austen Swift each had two RBIs in the victory as both Swift and Anderson hit a home run in the win.
Scoring for both teams was hard to come by early on as Frank Phillips scored first to take a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. That lead didn’t last too long as George Pappas started the fifth with a double and later scored after a bunt by Walker Winders and a Frank Phillips error to tie the game at 1-1.
Swift was able to give the Buccaneers a lead with a two-run home run over the fence in center for a 3-1 advantage.
The scoring for Blinn continued in the sixth when Elijah MacNamee singled to begin the inning and later scored after a single by Sam McElreath to center for a 4-1 lead. Winders followed with an RBI double to right to make it 5-1. King tripled off the wall in center to bring in a pair of runs for the six-run lead and then Anderson capped off the scoring with a two-run shot to make the score 9-1 as the Buccaneers held on to win by eight.
Blinn 13 – Frank Phillips 12
Blinn nearly let one get away after giving up five runs in the ninth inning to trail 12-11 but the Buccaneers fought right back in the ninth to come away with a 13-12 victory to complete the weekend sweep.
Swift was a big reason for the offensive explosion as he went 4 for 5 with two home runs, a single and a triple while knocking in four. Swift brought in the game-winning run in the ninth and was only a double away from hitting for the cycle.
“Just trying to help my team any way that I can whether that be to hit the ball out of the yard or hit a single,” Swift said.
MacNamee also supplied some offense with two home runs and a double to knock in three total. Winders brought in two runs in the victory. Cody Moos came on in the middle innings for the Buccaneers to pitch three and struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced in the scoreless frames.
Frank Phillips easily had its best offensive game and it started with two runs in the first inning for a 2-0 lead. Anderson was able to cut the lead in half with a one-out double and then later came around to score on an error to get within 2-1 of Frank Phillips.
Frank Phillips added three runs in the second and two in the fourth to take a 7-1 lead. Blinn was able to cut into the lead in the fourth when McElreath was hit by a pitch and later came around to score on a Winders single to left. Colton Parrish was able to bring in a run with a ground out to get within 7-3.
Two swings of the bat helped the Buccaneers get even closer as Swift and MacNamee hit back-to-back solo home runs to get within 7-5 in the fifth. Swift and MacNamee did it again in the seventh inning with back-to-back shots to tie the game at 7-7. Winders was able to squeeze home a run with a bunt to give the Buccaneers an 8-7 lead in the inning.
Blinn added some insurance runs in the eighth when Parrish was hit by a pitch and later scored on a triple by Swift to right for a 9-7 lead. MacNamee followed with a double to right to score one for a 10-7 lead and then MacNamee later scored on a passed ball for an 11-7 lead. That lead would evaporate in the ninth when Frank Phillips scored five to take a 12-11 lead.
Blinn was able to find enough in the tank to come back in the ninth when Kyle Gray was hit by a pitch and later scored on a balk to knot the game at 12-12. Swift delivered the game-winning single to right to give the Buccaneers a 13-12 victory and the weekend sweep.
Blinn will play host to McLennan Community College on Monday, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
