History will have to wait.
The Blinn College softball team settled for a Region XIV South doubleheader split with Alvin Community College on Saturday, leaving Buccaneers head coach Rick Church on the brink of a monumental career feat.
Blinn routed the host Dolphins 12-0 in five innings in game one before falling 8-6 to close out the twin bill in Alvin, Texas.
The Buccaneers moved to 23-15-1 overall and 8-6 in the South, while Church now sits on the doorstep of history with 999 coaching victories.
Though an impressive accolade awaits him, Church’s focus was locked on Saturday’s 50-50 result.
“We had a great start to the day in game one, but Alvin was very competitive in the second game after getting run ruled,” the coach said.
The Bucs began and ended the opener with a bang.
Blinn scored two runs in the top of the first frame with an RBI triple from sophomore Alayna Calvillo and a run-scoring single from freshman Bailey Boetjer. In the second inning, freshman Grace Bracken plated a run with a single before Boetjer knocked in Bracken and freshman Haley Hughes with a two-run base hit.
After two scoreless innings, the Blinn offense got back to work in the fifth with a seven-run outburst.
A bases loaded triple from Calvillo made it 8-0 and Boetjer added her fourth RBI of the day with a single to left field. Freshmen Kayden Harms and Darian DeLeon then hit back-to-back RBI doubles to cap the scoring.
The Bucs pounded out 17 hits, led by three apiece for Calvillo, Boetjer, and DeLeon. Calvillo had four RBIs, while Harms had two.
Sophomore Peyton Welker tossed a one-hit shutout for the win. She struck out seven Dolphins and walked one while improving to 13-5 in the pitcher’s circle.
In game two, Blinn rallied to take a late-game lead, but was unable to squash a game-winning Alvin rally.
The Bucs opened the scoring with a solo run on an error in the first, but the Dolphins rallied for three runs in the third frame. After Alvin made it 4-1 in the fourth, Blinn regained the lead with a four-run fifth.
A two-run single off the bat of Harms made it 5-4.
The Dolphins answered with four runs of their own in the home half of the inning to jump ahead for good.
Sophomore Alyssa Boozy smacked an RBI single in the seventh for the Bucs.
Blinn had 13 hits, led by four for Boetjer and three for Hughes.
In the circle, Welker was charged with the loss in relief. She allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings of work.
Freshman Bella De Los Santos settled for a no-decision after hurling 3 1/3 innings of four-run ball. She allowed six hits and a walk and fanned two.
Blinn and Church will attempt to make history when the Bucs face South foe Lamar State College-Port Arthur in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, at the Blinn Softball Field at Hohlt Park in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
