The Region XIV South Zone triumph pushed the Buccaneers to 34-12 and 21-8 in the South, where they sit atop the standings in first place.
“You can never give up on the Bucs,” said Kolkhorst, whose one-out single in the ninth inning scored sophomore Ryan Scott from second base to tie the game at seven. “We score a lot and we’re never out of a game. I wanted to end the game there in the ninth, but I settled for a single to tie it up and it ended up going our way in the end.”
Prior to Kolkhorst’s single, freshman Tony Vernars was inserted as a pinch runner for freshman Coy DeFury at first base, and Vernars eventually moved to third on Kolkhorst’s hit and a fielder’s choice. Then, with two outs and sophomore Cam Wheeler in the batter’s box, Coastal Bend pitcher Christian Keller was charged with a balk that sent Vernars to the plate and ignited a Blinn celebration on the diamond.
“That’s the beautiful thing about baseball – you have to get all 27 outs,” Buccaneer head coach Dusty Hart said. “A win is a win; they’re not all going to be pretty. It’s sometimes better to see us fight through some adversity and actually come through at the end … that was really good to see.”
The walk-off win let pitcher Bryson Dudley off the hook after the right-hander gave up a go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the ninth. The freshman was otherwise strong in relief, as he allowed just three hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Freshman Cody Pfeffer was the pitcher of record for Blinn after recording the final out in the ninth.
(Pictured: Blinn freshman Bryson Dudley Delivers a pitch against Coastal Bend on April 18)
Sophomore Victor Loa started the game and settled for a no-decision in a five-inning start. The lefty allowed four earned runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and a pair of walks.
The Cougars grabbed an early lead with a three-run homer in the second, but the Bucs responded with four runs in the home half of the third. After Coastal Bend knotted the game at four-all in the top of the fourth, the Bucs jumped ahead 6-4 on a pair of bases loaded walks. Sophomore Tate Bethel and Scott drew the free passes.
On the day, Blinn finished with six hits, led by a pair for Kolkhorst, but also drew 12 walks.
(Pictured: Blinn freshman Jake Kolkhorst follows through on a game-tying RBI single against Coastal Bend on April 18)
“This game was just as important as any game we’ve had all year because of the fight we showed,” Hart added. “We could’ve said, ‘That’s it; we lost,’ following the home run in the ninth, but the guys answered. I’m proud of them.”
Up next, Blinn continues its four-game series with Coastal Bend when the two teams battle it out at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, in Beeville, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 43 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
