The victory pushed the Buccaneers to 30-10 overall and 17-6 in the South. The 30 wins are Blinn’s most since the 2019 ballclub finished its season 33-22.
“It was a well-played game by us in all facets,” first-year Blinn head coach Dusty Hart said. “We got some really timely hits and a great start on the mound from Shane Connell. It was a big day for us and for him.”
Connell, a freshman, improved to 3-0 on the year with six strong innings. He allowed two runs in the home half of the first but recovered nicely to toss five shutout frames. He gave up five hits, walked five, and struck out five.
“Shane stepped up, which we needed,” said Hart. “We needed a good, quality start today to get us to Monday.”
Freshman Cody Pfeffer relieved Connell and tossed two hitless frames, picking up two strikeouts along the way, and sophomore Tate Bethel worked a scoreless ninth to end it.
At the plate, the Bucs harassed the Ravens’ pitching staff with 14 base hits, 13 walks, and eight stolen bases.
“Their field played really big, the wind was blowing in, and it’s the sign of a well-rounded team when you can win in different ways,” Hart stated. “You have to be able to play to the conditions of the day.”
Blinn grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, and made it 6-2 in the fifth. Two more runs in the sixth, a single tally in the eighth, and three runs in the ninth put the game away.
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore Tate Bethel)
Four of the Bucs’ hits went for extra bases, including doubles for Bethel, sophomore Ian Collier, and freshman Marshall Lipsey. Freshman Coy DeFury smacked a 2-run homer to cap Blinn’s three-run first inning.
Freshman Tanner Reaves bumped his season batting average to a blistering .423 with a four-hit game. He drove in a run and scored twice to go along with a pair of stolen bases. Bethel had three hits, two RBIs and a run; Lipsey had a pair of hits and scored once; and sophomore Ryan Scott singled twice and drove in a run. Freshman Shane Martin also had an RBI.
The win was the Bucs’ fourth of the year over their longtime region rivals, and kept their three-game lead for first place in the South intact. Wharton County Junior College currently sits in second place in the South with a 14-9 mark.
Blinn and San Jacinto finish their season series with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Monday, April 10, at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 43 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
