With only a handful of Region XIV South ballgames remaining this season, the Blinn College softball team is focusing on what it can control.
On Wednesday, the Buccaneers showed exactly what a little focus can do.
Blinn swept a key Region XIV South doubleheader from Galveston College at the Blinn Softball Field in Brenham, Texas, and in doing so pushed past the Whitecaps for second place in the South standings.
The 7-6 and 6-5 victories improved the Bucs to 30-16-1 overall and 14-6 in the South, where they trail division leader San Jacinto College-South by just .086 percentage points.
Blinn reached the 30-win mark for the first time since 2019, and in doing so up the stakes for its remaining four South contests. San Jacinto-South (11-3 South) has 10 divisional contests left this season, meaning the Bucs will likely need to win out and hope for some favorable results during the Ravens’ remaining stretch to earn the South crown. Blinn and San Jacinto-South will battle it out in a doubleheader on April 27 in Houston.
Both of the Bucs’ wins over Galveston on Wednesday were made possible by rallies from a surging offense. Since the beginning of March, Blinn’s lineup has scored six or more runs in 22 of 28 games (19-9 during that stretch), and it was that offensive prowess that paved the way to its latest victories.
(Pictured: Blinn freshman Darian DeLeon slides safely into home plate during a game against Galveston College on April 17, 2024)
In game one against the Whitecaps, the Bucs battled out of an early 3-0 deficit thanks to a three-run rally in the bottom of the third frame.
A bases loaded walk drawn by freshman Bailey Boetjer got Blinn on the board, and a fielding error by Galveston allowed two more runs to cross in the inning.
In the fourth, sophomore Erynne Castillo singled in freshman Darian DeLeon, and sophomore Alyssa Boozy mashed a three-run home run to left field in the fifth that proved to be the difference.
“I just wanted to get a base hit for my team in that situation,” Boozy said. “Off the bat, though, I knew the ball was gone; I didn’t even feel the contact. That was big for us.”
Castillo, DeLeon, and sophomore Alayna Calvillo had two hits apiece as part of Blinn’s 10-hit effort.
Sophomore pitcher Peyton Welker persevered through an up-and-down day in the circle, improving to 16-5 on the year thanks to a complete-game performance. She allowed five earned runs on nine hits while walking five and striking out three.
After the Whitecaps pulled within one in the top of the seventh thanks to a pair of home runs, Castillo provided some heroics with a two-out, game-winning diving catch deep in left field.
“From the start, I knew I was going to catch that ball; there was no way I was going to let that ball drop in,” Castillo said. “I had to do it for my team, so I left my feet and took a chance at the ball and it paid off.”
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Alyssa Boozy is congratulated by assistant coach Jami Ingram after hitting a home run against Galveston on April 17, 2024)
In game two, it was Blinn that took an early lead ,jumping ahead 3-1 heading into the fourth inning.
Galveston surged ahead with a four-run fourth frame before the Bucs went back into rally mode.
Trailing 5-4 in the fifth, freshman Kayden Harms plated Castillo on a fielder’s choice and DeLeon singled in Calvillo. With two outs in the sixth, Calvillo reached on an error that allowed Castillo to cross the plate as the winning run.
Blinn had eight hits, led by a 3-for-4 showing from Castillo and a two-hit, two-RBI game for sophomore Ripley Welker.
Freshman pitcher Bella De Los Santos started the game for Blinn but gave way to sophomore Camdyn Shugart with one out in the fourth.
Shugart worked into the seventh before De Los Santos returned with one out and two runners on. She earned the save after picking up back-to-back strikeouts and stranded Whitecap runners at second and third base. De Los Santos earned her first save of the season while Shugart was credited with her third win.
Next up for the Bucs is a road trip to Region XIV South foe Angelina College scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, in Lufkin, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 47 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
