BRENHAM, Texas — The Blinn College softball team swept Coastal Bend College at Hohlt Park Wednesday.
Blinn opened the doubleheader with a 4-3 win, then run-ruled Coastal Bend, 10-1 in six innings.
With the pair of wins, the Buccaneers are now 20-16 overall and 13-5 in conference play.
“In the first game we put up one in the second and three in the sixth, and that was enough for us to get it done,” head coach Rick Church said. “Then we did a little bit of a better job helping our pitcher in the second game and closing it out in six innings. We built up and finished well today after a slow start.”
Following the doubleheader, the Buccaneers celebrated their sophomores.
“There has been no other sophomore class that has had to quite endure the variables that were put upon us with COVID-19, so that is a lot to overcome mentally,” Church said. “I give them all a big pat on the back for dealing with that, while still being good students and out here competing on the diamond.”
Blinn 4 – Coastal Bend 3
The Buccaneers rallied for three runs in the sixth inning to come back and top Coastal Bend, 4-3, in the doubleheader opener.
Renna Toomey sealed the win in the circle after only surrendering two earned runs on six hits in seven innings.
Toomey and Samantha Rodriguez led the offense with one run and one RBI each, while Mikaela Lopez and Amy Hitt each knocked in one run. Emily Murphy went 2-for-3 and scored one run, while Keely Castillo had one hit and scored one run.
“We didn’t come out as strong as we thought we would, but never gave up and fought until the end,” Hitt said. “I just went up there knowing what I needed to do for my teammates, knowing my hitting situation, and I was able to get a sacrifice fly and get a runner home. I love our team chemistry and this team has something very special that I don’t think I’ve had with any other team I have played with.”
Coastal Bend scored its only three runs of the game in the second inning and held a lead until the sixth inning.
Blinn scored its first run in the second inning when Rodriguez landed on base with a single and Lopez followed with a single for her to score.
A three-run sixth inning allowed the Buccaneers to pull ahead 4-3. Murphy kicked the inning off with a single and Castillo followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. Toomey hit a one-run single for the first run of the inning to score, then Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Lopez kept things rolling with a single for Toomey to advance to third, then Hitt recorded a sacrifice fly for the Buccaneers to take the one-run lead.
Following an error in the seventh inning, Toomey retired the next three batters for the win.
Blinn 10 – Coastal Bend 1
Blinn closed out the doubleheader with a 10-1 run-rule win over Coastal Bend in six innings.
Nevada Dolnik earned the win after giving up just one run on six hits.
Skylar Shanahan went 3-for-4, and hit two home runs, to lead the Buccaneers with five RBIs and two runs. Chandler Talbot drove in three runs and Rodriguez scored two.
Blinn took a 3-0 lead in the second inning after Speziale-Potter scored on Hitt’s sacrifice fly and Talbot drove in two runs with a single.
Coastal Bend scored its lone run of the game in the fourth inning to cut Blinn’s lead to 3-1.
The Buccaneers added two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and two runs in the fifth inning to lead 7-1. In the fourth inning, Talbot and Shaelyn Sanders each hit one-run singles. After Castillo led off the fifth inning with a single, Shanahan hit a two-run homer.
In the sixth inning, Sanders and Murphy each drew walks, then Shanahan hit a three-run bomb for Blinn to walk off with the win.
“I have made lifelong friends here for the rest of my life, the coaches are great, and everyone cares about each other,” said Italie Speziale-Potter, following the Sophomore Day ceremony. “When I was playing select softball, I always heard Blinn was a great program and that is why I wanted to come here. The coaches proved it right, I love playing here and would recommend it to anyone because it is a great program to play for.”
Next, the Buccaneers will travel to compete against No. 12 San Jacinto College-South in a doubleheader on Saturday, May 1, starting at 2 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
