The Buccaneers posted seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning – including five with two outs – to stun the Dolphins 7-6 in game one (seven innings) before Alvin bounced back for a 12-4 victory in game two.
Blinn’s final at-bat of the opener served as a bit of redemption, as the Bucs spent most of the ballgame sending hard line drives and fly balls right into the gloves of Alvin defenders.
Things finally got going for Blinn when Jett Garcia led off the home half of the seventh with a single. One out later, Liam Koleci moved Garcia to second with a single and Dave Wilson drove in both runs with a double.
After a groundout that left Wilson still standing on second, Luke Nail walked and Cole Smajstrla was hit by a pitch. Tripp Cromer and Garrison Weiss drew back-to-back walks to make it a 6-4 game, and Garcia returned to the plate for his second at-bat of the inning. The second-year infielder sent a line drive over the head of the second baseman, driving in Smajstrla and Cromer, while Weiss moved to third.
Sean Monsour, who popped out to the shortstop for the first out of the inning, followed Garcia with a soft dribbler back to the pitcher. Weiss sped down the baseline and beat a desperation throw to the plate to give the Bucs the walk-off win.
“They barreled up quite a few balls all day and didn’t have much to show for it,” Blinn head coach Harvey McIntyre said, “but they kept punching and found a way to win one late with extremely competitive at-bats.”
Leading the Bucs’ 10-hit attack were Wilson and Garcia, who both finished with two hits and two RBIs. Monsour, Koleci, and Nail also had two hits.
(Pictured: Blinn College’s Justin Barnes)
Blinn relief pitcher Justin Barnes earned the victory with three innings of two-run ball. He allowed three hits and struck out one. Gage Boehm started for the Bucs and allowed four earned runs in four innings of work.
In game two, Carter Allen put Blinn on top 3-2 in the second frame with a three-run homer, but the Dolphins jumped ahead with two runs in the sixth before adding two more in the seventh and six in the eighth.
Nail’s RBI ground out scored Wilson in the ninth to close out the scoring.
Pitcher of record Colten Drake started and worked 5 2/3 innings for Blinn. He allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits with four strikeouts and three walks.
The Bucs get back to work with a road game at region counterpart and 18th-ranked San Jacinto College-North at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, in Houston. The four-game series returns to Brenham for a 6 p.m. tilt on Thursday, April 7, and finishes with a doubleheader at San Jacinto starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 9.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
