Nobody on the 12th-ranked Blinn College baseball team knew that San Jacinto College-North had already won its ballgame.
Except perhaps Marshall Lipsey.
With two outs and runners on second and third base in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday, the sophomore chopped a soft ground ball to the right side of the infield and displayed what could only be described as superhuman speed in beating out an infield single that sent the Buccaneers to a wild 6-5 victory over Alvin Community College at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas.
The victory kept the Bucs two games ahead of San Jacinto-North for first place in the Region XIV South with three games remaining in the regular season. San Jacinto-North defeated Coastal Bend College 12-4 and remained in second place.
“We all know what is at stake right now,” Lipsey said. “It’s in the back of our minds. We know what can happen if the games don’t go our way. Every play, every pitch, every at bat matters.”
Lipsey came to the plate with Blinn trailing by one in the ninth. After putting the ball into play, the speedster dove head first into first base and collided with the Dolphins’ pitcher as he attempted to corral the throw. Lipsey was ruled safe as sophomores Tanner Reaves and Cade Climie raced home as the tying and winning runs.
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Marshall Lipsey)
“When I saw the ball hit the ground, I just booked it,” Lipsey said. “Luckily, I hit it slow enough that the second baseman had to charge it, and I just put my head down and ran as quickly as I could. As soon as I collided with the pitcher at the bag, I thought I had a good chance of being safe. I was, and then I saw that Climie had scored from second and it was just really cool to see the pieces all fall together like that.”
The Bucs are looking to win the South for a second consecutive season, which would also give them home-field advantage for the Region XIV South Regional tournament for the second time in two years.
The Bucs prevailed on a night that very little seemed to go their way through the first eight frames.
Blinn rallied out of a 3-0 deficit in the fifth inning thanks to a run-scoring error, a two-run home run from freshman Ryan Williams, and an RBI groundout from Climie, but that lead was short-lived.
(Pictured: Blinn freshman Ryan Williams gestures to his teammates after hitting a home run against Alvin on April 30, 2024)
The Dolphins answered with a two-run homer of their own in the top of the sixth, and the score remained 5-4 until Lipsey came to the plate in the ninth.
Blinn was hindered by a handful of tough breaks at the plate, as the Bucs put several hard-hit balls into play that resulted in tough-luck outs.
“It was just one of those days,” Bucs head coach Dusty Hart said. “It felt like it was going to stay that way until the ninth. It ended up being a pretty wild finish for us and I was proud of our guys for fighting until the very end. Sometimes the ball just bounces your way and until that final moment, the entire game it felt like the opposite was happening. It was great to see it play out the way it did.”
Blinn finished with eight hits, including two apiece for Lipsey and sophomore Connor McGinnis.
On the mound, sophomore relief pitcher Ben Bosse earned his second win of the season after he worked 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. He allowed one hit and one walk.
“Bosse was the difference maker on the mound,” Hart said. “He comes in and gets eight huge outs to keep us within a run and really gave us the chance to do what we did in the ninth.”
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Shane Connell delivers a pitch against Alvin on April 30, 2024)
Sophomore starting pitcher Shane Connell lasted five innings and settled for a no-decision. He allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits with two talks and four strikeouts. Sophomore Jake Kolkhorst pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief and was charged with two earned runs.
Blinn and Alvin are set to resume their four-game series on Wednesday, May 1, in Alvin, Texas, but an unfavorable weather forecast could cause a shift in the schedule. Hart said game dates and times are currently considered fluid. Visit www.buccaneersports.com for schedule updates.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 47 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
