The Buccaneers started their day with an 8-2 win before prevailing 12-4 in the finale.
Head coach Dusty Hart’s ballclub is now 5-2 on the season.
“It’s not easy to beat anybody four times in a row, I don’t care who you are,” said Hart. “I knew Baton Rouge would come out swinging, and I told our team to be ready today. We needed to get the momentum and keep it on our side. I thought we really did a good job of staying in the game and not getting frustrated while continuing to play hard and do what we do.”
In Sunday’s opener, Blinn erased a 2-1 deficit with a seven-run sixth inning.
After freshmen Marshall Lipsey and Brandon Bishop walked and singled, respectively, to open the home half of the sixth, freshman Tanner Reaves tied the game at 2-all with an RBI single. Sophomore Ian Collier walked to load the bases before sophomore Cam Wheeler reached on an infield single that plated Bishop for a 3-2 edge.
Sophomore Ryan Scott was hit by a pitch to score another run before freshman Tony Vernars smacked a two-run double. Lipsey’s two-run single made it 8-2.
“We were going station to station in that inning and that’s all we needed to do,” Vernars said. “Guys were taking pitches, having good at bats, and getting on base any way they could, and we all just rolled with it and it led to the big frame.”
Wheeler smacked a solo home run in the second inning as part of a two-hit, two-RBI day. Reaves and Bishop also had two hits.
On the mound, freshman Blane Zeplin earned a no-decision following 4 2/3 of work. He allowed two earned runs on hour hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Freshman Hunter Bond earned the win in relief with 2 1/3 hitless frames. He struck out five and walked one.
“I love coming in during intense moments, and your job is just to fill up the strike zone and give your offense a chance,” Bond said. “My mentality was to just pound the zone, and once our offense put up that seven spot, that just made my job easier.”
(Pictured: Blinn freshman Hunter Bond delivers a pitch during a game against Baton Rouge on Feb. 5)
In game two, Blinn would again trail early as the Bears took a 2-1 edge into the bottom of the second inning. The Bucs answered decisively with six runs in its half of the frame.
After freshman Coy DeFury singled and Wheeler was plunked with a pitch, Scott doubled DeFury in to tie the game. Vernars was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Matt Whitting walked to force another run home. Lipsey scored Scott with a single, but Whitting was thrown out at second. Bishop ended the scoring outburst with a three-run homer.
Baton Rouge tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the third, but Blinn tallied three more in the fourth and two in the fifth to end the scoring.
Reaves finished 3 for 5, including his third home run of the season – a solo bomb in the first. Bishop and Scott also homered for the Bucs.
Scott also doubled as part of a two-hit game and drove in three runs. Bishop plated three runs and Reaves and Lipsey also had two RBI.
Freshman Jake Kolkhorst started for Blinn and earned the victory after tossing three innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Five Buccaneer relievers combined to hurl six no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts to end the game.
“Our pitching overall for the weekend was pretty good,” Hart added. “We can get better, but we’re happy with what we did this weekend. When we throw strikes and make the other team put the ball in play, good things are going to happen.”
Blinn will compete in the Brazos Valley Tournament this week, starting with a matchup with Paris Junior College at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, at Nutrabolt Stadium in Bryan, Texas. The Bucs will take on Odessa College in the tournament at 10 a.m. and Tyler Junior College at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
