The Buccaneers earned the win by run rule in seven innings for their seventh consecutive win and improved to 25-7 overall and 13-3 in the South.
“It was a weird game,” Blinn head coach Dusty Hart said. “We got some timely hits, but we also had a few chances to break it wide open earlier in the game. We left some guys on base and had some baserunning mistakes, but we did a good job of overcoming that and not letting it affect us.”
With the wind blowing straight out to center field, the Bucs were the beneficiaries of a strong start from pitcher Shane Connell.
The right-handed freshman was efficient in his complete-game effort, needing just 78 pitches to top the Whitecaps. He allowed two earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
“It wasn’t an ideal day to pitch, but Shane threw the ball really well considering the conditions,” Hart said. “He made one bad pitch all game, and every pitch he threw otherwise was executed well. Plus, we played probably our best defensive game that we’ve played all year with some nice plays and some key double plays.”
The Buccaneer offense backed Connell with a 14-hit attack and gave him a 6-0 lead after two innings.
Sophomore Ryan Scott had a 4-for-4 day with two RBIs and a run scored. He doubled twice. Freshman Tanner Reaves reached base four times, drawing two walks while going 2 for 2 at the plate. He led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run, his eighth longball of the season. Sophomore Cam Wheeler sent a solo shot to right field in the sixth to make it 11-2.
The Bucs scored in every inning.
Wheeler finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored, and freshman Jake Kolkhorst went 2 for 4. Freshman Brandon Bishop had a double, two walks, an RBI, and three runs. Freshman Marshall Lipsey walked three times and scored twice. Blinn’s lineup drew eight walks.
Galveston tallied a pair of runs in the top of the third on a two-run homer.
The Bucs have register double-digit run totals in 16 of their 32 ballgames this spring.
Blinn will conclude its series with the Whitecaps with a twin bill beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, in Galveston, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
