HOUSTON, Texas – Jaiden Rawls pitched a beauty of the game for Blinn College softball and she needed to as the offense supplied only two runs but it was more than enough for a 2-0 victory over Iowa Western Community College Feb. 14 in Houston.

The win helped the Buccaneers break even on the day after losing the first game of the San Jacinto College Tournament 6-2 to Wallace State Community College-Hanceville. The 1-1 record on the day gives Blinn a 7-6 overall record.

Rawls pitched all seven innings against Iowa Western and only allowed four hits while striking out four in the shutout victory. Lara Cecchetti supplied the first run with a home run while Seeley Orsak had a solid game with a double and a single to earn two of the five total hits for Blinn.

Runs were hard to come by as both pitchers were dealing early on. It took until the fifth for Blinn to break through as Cecchetti started off the inning with a solo home run for a 1-0 lead. Orsak kept it going with a bunt single and then later scored on a wild pitch for a 2-0 lead. The two runs would be all Blinn would need to beat Iowa Western.

Against Wallace State in the early game, Blinn started the seventh inning tied 2-2 but Wallace State piled up four runs in the seventh to pull out the 6-2 victory. Jordan Wilkins and Courtney White each had two singles in the loss while Jazzmin Fritz added a double.

The Buccaneers were able to get on the board in the first inning when Delilah Pacheco started the inning with a walk and then scored after a single by White for a 1-0 lead. Wallace State countered with two in the fourth inning for a 2-1 lead.

With two outs in the sixth, Fritz was able to blast a double to center and then was able to score on a Wallace State error to knot the game at 2-2. The game didn’t stay tied for long as Wallace State brought in four runs in the seventh to seal the victory.

Blinn will continue the San Jacinto College Tournament Feb. 15 with a rematch of Wallace State Community College-Hanceville at 10 a.m. in Houston.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 30 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.