The Buccaneers earned a 4-3 come-from-behind win in a seven-inning opener before cruising to an 8-1 victory in the finale at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn took three of four games from Alvin and improved to 13-5 overall and 3-1 in the South Zone. The Bucs and Dolphins will face each other twice more in the regular season to complete their season series.
“It was a great day,” Blinn head coach Dusty Hart said. “To win the first half of our season series against those guys was big time. We told our players before the first game today that we need to win our home games, and I thought it was really important for us to maintain our home-field advantage.”
The Bucs have excelled at home so far this spring, playing to a 9-2 record.
Blinn rallied out of a 3-0 deficit in the first game and completed its comeback with a three-run sixth inning.
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore pitcher Victor Loa delivers against Alvin Community College on Feb. 25)
After sophomore Ian Collier made it a 3-1 ballgame with an RBI groundout in the home half of the fifth, the Bucs kept things rolling one inning later.
Freshman Marshall Lipsey and sophomore Ryan Scott walked to open the inning and freshman Kash Durkin loaded the bases with a bunt single. Sophomore Tate Bethel then stepped to the plate and laced a single into left that pushed the tying runs home. Two batters later, freshman Brandon Bishop walked with the bases loaded to score the game-winning run.
Offensively, Blinn finished with four hits, including two for Bethel.
Alvin scored one run in the second inning and two more in the third.
“We grinded it out until we got to Alvin’s bullpen,” Hart said. “Alvin’s starting pitcher (Drew Leach) was really good today. But the game changed when we got to their bullpen.”
Leach threw 99 pitches across five innings before giving way to relief pitcher Trent Eaves.
The Bucs countered Leach with sophomore Victor Loa. The left-hander relied heavily on his fastball and put forth a solid effort. He lasted 4 1/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on just one hit with 11 strikeouts and three walks.
“What a gutsy performance from Victor,” Hart said. “He really only had one pitch working for him, and a lot of guys would have given in, but he gutted it out and gave us four good innings.”
Following Loa to the mound were freshman pitchers Blane Zeplin and Hunter Bond, who combined for 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
In game two, freshman Bryson Dudley made his fourth start and registered his longest outing of the season. He improved to 2-0 after tossing six innings of one-run ball. He gave up four hits with six strikeouts and one walk.
“I felt really good,” Dudley said. “I just had to establish strikes early and get ahead of batters. It’s always easier to pitch to hitters once you’re ahead. And then my defense worked well behind me, and we scored runs when we needed to. I had a good time out there.”
Freshman reliever Tyler Bogusz worked a scoreless seventh, eighth, and ninth, allowing no hits with four strikeouts and one walk for his first save of the season.
Blinn got the scoring started in the bottom of the first on an RBI double from freshman Tanner Reaves. Bishop scored on the two-bagger. In the third, Reaves doubled again to drive home Lipsey for a 2-0 edge.
Alvin got one back on a home run off Dudley in the fourth.
The Bucs used an RBI single from Bethel and a two-run homer off the bat of sophomore Cam Wheeler to make it a 5-1 ballgame in the sixth.
(Pictured: Blinn College freshman Tanner Reaves swings at a pitch during a game against Alvin Community College on Feb. 25)
In the seventh, Bishop scored from third on a passed ball with the bases loaded before a double from freshman Jake Kolkhorst sent Reaves and freshman Coy DeFury home to cap the scoring.
Blinn finished with seven hits.
The Bucs host Navarro College for a non-conference tilt at 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27, at Leroy Dreyer Field.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
