The Buccaneers out-slugged Alvin 12-8 in the opener before Kaitlyn Sadler tossed a shutout en route to a 7-0 victory to close the day.
Blinn is now 7-20 overall and 3-5 in the South Zone.
“Those were much-needed wins today – especially since they were two conference wins,” Blinn head coach Rick Church said. “Hopefully, we can build upon today with a new way to compete the rest of the season.”
The Buccaneers rallied a 3-0 first-inning hole, pouring on the offense in the first three frames to take control. Acie Prince and Kenley Strange smacked RBI singles in the home half of the first and Kendall Johnson drove in a run on a ground out to tie the game.
After the Dolphins jumped ahead 5-3 in the second, Blinn answered again with another three runs in the bottom of the inning. Prince doubled in Chandler Talbot and Teagan Whitley, then scored on an error to put the Bucs ahead 6-5, a lead they would not relinquish.
Blinn kept things going in the third inning when Keely Castillo smacked a grand slam over the wall in left field for a 10-5 cushion. Emily Kristynik sent a two-run shot to center field in the fifth to make it 12-5.
Alvin tallied three runs in the sixth.
Blinn finished with 13 hits, led by a 3-for-3 showing from Prince, who drove in three runs and scored twice. Talbot also had three hits and scored three runs. Whitley had two hits and scored three times. Maddie Stephenson tripled and scored, Kristynik finished with two RBIs, and Strange finished with two hits.
Kailey Eldridge earned the win in relief for the Bucs with six innings of three-run ball (one earned). She allowed six hits, struck out one and walked two.
Blinn’s offensive momentum continued into game two of the twin bill, as the Bucs scored all seven of their runs in the second inning.
Strange, Kayle Wallace, and Stephenson each scored on a single error to make it a 3-0 ballgame before Whitley drove in Talbot with a line-drive single. Castillo then hit her second homer of the day – a two-run blast to right field – and Prince went back-to-back with a solo shot to center.
Talbot and Kristynik led the Bucs with two hits apiece, including a double for Kristynik.
Sadler took advantage of the offensive outburst with a dominant outing in the circle. She scattered three hits during a 98-pitch effort while punching out two and walking two.
“As a team, we know how good we are, and we just haven’t been performing to our ability,” Sadler said. “We started playing for each other today, and for me, I just had a ‘If you want to, you will,’ mentality. In the past I’ve defeated myself and I put that aside today and just decided that I was going to go out and get this win for my team.”
Blinn continues its season with a doubleheader at Northeast Texas Community College beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
