San Jacinto earned a 3-0 victory in the opener before sophomore pitcher Chloee Mason shut down the Ravens in the finale as Blinn pulled out a 3-1 win.
The split moved the Buccaneers to 19-11 overall and 5-3 in the South.
“It was very important for us to come back and win that second game,” Blinn head coach Rick Church said. “It’s all about keeping your composure and maintaining your competitiveness. We always talk about having grit and having a response to challenges, and we responded in game two.”
(Pictured: Blinn freshman pitcher Peyton Welker delivers a pitch during a game against San Jacinto-South on March 29)
Ravens pitcher Christin Haygood tossed a complete game and limited the Bucs to just three singles in the opener. Blinn countered with a solid performance from freshman Peyton Welker (7-3), who worked 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball. She allowed six hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
“Her velocity was a little bit down and her mechanics were a little off, and she wasn’t as sharp as she had been,” Church said of Welker. ” … but she kept them off balanced enough to keep us in it. She was battling for us”
Sophomore pitcher Skylar Shanahan got the last out in the seventh on a strikeout.
It was a much different story for Blinn in the return game.
The Bucs opened the scoring and took the lead for good with a three-run third frame.
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Madeline Stephenson tags out a runner at second base during a game against San Jacinto-South on March 29)
After freshman Ripley Welker led off the inning with a single, fellow freshman Erynne Castillo reached on an error that put Ripley Welker on third base. Sophomore Madison Stephenson delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0 before freshman Alayna Calvillo‘s RBI single pushed Castillo across. Sophomore Emily Kristynik singled Calvillo to third and sophomore Caitlyn Stevens made it 3-0 with a sac fly to right field.
“After getting shut out in the opener, the key to the game was just being mentally tough about it and not letting the game before that affect you,” said Stevens. “It was a new game, so you had to have a new mindset.”
Calvillo had two hits as part of Blinn’s five-hit attack. Stevens had a double for the Bucs.
With the comfort of a three-run cushion, Mason (6-4) cruised in the pitcher’s circle. The right-hander allowed just two hits and one earned run while walking one and fanning one. The Ravens got to her for a run in the top of the fourth but managed nothing else against the second-year Buc.
Mason was roughed up in a road loss to Trinity Valley Community College on March 27, making Wednesday’s outing especially impressive to coach Church.
“A lot of the credit goes to Chloee after not having a great outing Monday,” the coach said. “She gained a lot of experience last season after being our main pitcher, and that experience has really helped her this season. Most of the time when she takes the field, she’s one of our best pitchers. She bounced back today and that’s the sign of a quality pitcher.”
Up next, Blinn hits the road for a South Zone twin bill against Alvin Community College beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, in Alvin, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
