LUFKIN, Texas โ Blinn College softball took a little detour to earning the Region XIV Tournament championship but in the second game against Navarro College the Buccaneers got it done with a 7-3 victory Tuesday afternoon in Lufkin.
Blinn held a 3-0 lead in the opening game but had a rough inning and Navarro came back to win the first game of the day to force a winner-takes-all second game. The Buccaneers regrouped and scored the most runs they have scored all tournament in the 7-3 victory to give Blinn a 43-14 record heading into nationals.
โWe had a defensive meltdown in the first game that cost us,โ said Blinn head coach Rick Church. โThe good thing is that we regrouped and came out and scored seven runs in the second game.โ
The NJCAA National Tournament will be on May 13-16 in St. George, Utah.
Jaiden Rawls pitched in the tournament-clinching game for Blinn by going all seven innings and only allowing four hits and three runs while striking out seven. Jordin Wilkins only had one hit in the game but it was a big one as she nailed a two-run home run to help the offense along for Blinn. Alli Spivey and Meghann Wrinkle each had two hits and an RBI to go in the win.
Blinn was able to strike in the first inning when Delilah Pacheco singled and then eventually came around to score after a sacrifice by Courtney White for a 1-0 lead. Spivey started another scoring chance in the third with a walk and then was able to stroll around the bases after a two-run home run by Wilkins for a 3-0 lead. Navarro earned a run in the fourth to get within 3-1 but Blinn came right back with a big inning in the bottom half.
Kayla Lahrmann started the inning with a single and then was able to score on an error for a 4-1 lead. Spivey singled in the infield to score Pacheco for a 5-1 edge. Rawls helped her cause in the circle with a sacrifice fly to score a run and then Wrinkle capped off the scoring with a single to left for a 7-1 lead. Navarro was able to get two runs in the fifth but that would be as close as it would get as Blinn clinched the championship.
The first game didnโt as planned for Blinn but the start wasnโt too bad as it jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Costly errors helped result in Navarro scoring four runs in the sixth inning to win the first game.
Pacheco had a pair of singles in the loss while Lahrmann and White each had an RBI in the game. Blinn had six hits to Navarroโs three but five errors in the game really hurt the Buccaneers.
Blinn was able to strike early when Pacheco singled and then was able to score the first run after a single to center. White later scored on an error for a 2-0 lead after one inning. Seeley Orsak and Lahrmann teamed up in the fourth to score a run as Orsak singled with two outs and then Lahrmann followed with an RBI double to right for a 3-0 lead.
Navarro was able to put up four runs in the sixth, which was enough to close a victory in the first game.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit: www.buccaneersports.com.
