Chloee Mason threw a no-hitter in game one and Peyton Welker tossed a complete-game shutout in game two to propel the Blinn College softball team to a Region XIV South Zone sweep of Coastal Bend College on Wednesday in Brenham, Texas.
The Buccaneers swept the doubleheader with a 7-0 triumph and an 8-0, six-inning victory.
The twin bill was Blinn’s first action since Saturday, April 1, a season-long theme for the Bucs as mother nature has wreaked havoc on the team’s schedule. Regardless of another long layoff, however, Blinn (22-12, 8-4 South Zone) came out swinging – and pitching – from start to finish Wednesday.
“Not playing for 11 days and having these long breaks due to weather, you just can’t get into a good, competitive groove,” Blinn head coach Rick Church said. “But I thought we came out today and started getting back on track again.”
Mason (8-4) made sure of that with her first collegiate no-hitter. The sophomore walked two Cougars while striking out six in a 97-pitch effort.
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore pitcher Chloee Mason delivers against Coastal Bend on April 12)
“I couldn’t have done this without my defense having my back,” Mason said. “There were a lot of balls that could have fallen in for a hit, but our defenders made some great plays and got me through it.”
It wasn’t until the fifth inning that Mason said she noticed she was in the midst of a no hitter, adding that she made an immediate decision in the pitcher’s circle.
“I just told myself, ‘Well, I have to keep it that way,'” she stated. “The idea of throwing a no-hitter can put pressure on you if you let it, but you just have to focus on not getting overwhelmed and doing your job.”
Mason’s job was made a bit easier with a brilliant diving catch in center field by freshman Erynne Castillo, as well as a couple of nice snags by sophomore third baseman Caitlyn Stevens on line drives in the top of the seventh.
The Bucs also did their part in the batter’s box with 14 hits. Stevens went 4 for 4 and scored a run, sophomore Emily Kristynik doubled as part of a three-hit day, freshman Ripley Welker had two hits, including a double, two runs, and an RBI, and freshman Alayna Calvillo had two singles, an RBI, a run, and a walk. Freshman Alyssa Boozy also doubled and drove in a pair, and freshman Haley Rust had an RBI.
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Emily Kristynik slides into home plate during a game against Coastal Bend on April 12)
Blinn opened the scoring with one run in the first, then added a pair in the third, one in the fourth, and three in the fifth.
In game two, the Bucs put forth another 14-hit barrage behind a second consecutive pitching gem.
Welker improved to 8-4 with six innings of three-hit ball. She fanned three and walked one.
Calvillo pushed her season batting average to .485 with a 3-for-4 showing, adding three RBIs and a run. She had two doubles. Sophomore Michyla Saenz, Kristynik, Stevens, Castillo, and Boozy had two hits apiece. Stevens and Boozy doubled. Freshman Madison Dorrow hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth frame and added a sacrifice fly for a three-RBI game. Castillo also had an RBI.
(Pictured: Blinn freshman pitcher Peyton Welker looks to the plate before delivering a pitch during a game against Coastal Bend on April 12)
Blinn tallied two runs in the second, posted a pair in the fourth, and followed with three more in the fifth and one in the sixth.
Up next, the Bucs will look to make more headway in the South Zone when they host Angelina College for a region doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, at Hohlt Park in Brenham.
“Hopefully we can keep this going over the next few weeks and get ourselves in a competitive groove,” Church said. “We have a lot of games over the next three weeks, and we just have to keep our focus. I’m looking forward to it and I know our players are, too.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 43 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
