Blinn swept Region XIV South adversary Wharton County Junior College 10-3 and 13-11 in a doubleheader at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas, and combined with a San Jacinto College-North loss to Galveston College, seized a two-game lead for first place in the South.
After topping the Pioneers to begin their day, several of the Buccaneers spent the break between contests score-watching on www.TSBNSports.com as San Jacinto-North fell to Galveston 9-7 live on to open their own twin bill. The Ravens bounced back and topped the Whitecaps in game two for a split.
Blinn (33-14 overall, 25-6 South) now leads San Jacinto-North by two games as it looks to host the Region XIV South Regional tournament for a second consecutive season. Both teams have four region ballgames remaining. Should the ballclubs finish the season tied for first place, San Jacinto would take the crown via a head-to-head tiebreaker (4-3).
(Pictured: Blinn freshman pitcher Lucas Davenport delivers during a game against Wharton County on April 27, 2024)
“One of the goals we set out to achieve at the beginning of the year was to win our conference and host the regional,” Bucs head coach Dusty Hart said. “If you can play at home, obviously that gives you your highest percentage of winning the regional. You put yourself in the best situation when you win your conference. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where we play the regional; the ultimate goal is to get to and win the world series. With that being said, you also want to give yourself the best chance to get there.”
Blinn won the South Regional in 2023 and went on to finish fourth at the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series.
The Bucs’ two victories over Wharton County on Saturday gave them a three-game sweep of the Pioneers.
Freshman pitcher Lucas Davenport tossed a seven-inning complete game to begin the doubleheader and improved to 4-2 on the season.
The right-hander allowed two earned runs on eight hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
“I went out there and worked around a couple of tough breaks, and giving up three runs isn’t the worst thing in the world when your offense can go out and put up 10 for you,” Davenport said. “Our hitters make pitching easy for our staff. I kept a competitive mentality today and relied on my fastball for strikes and got to the finish line.”
Wharton County struck first with a run in the first inning and made it 2-0 in the top of the third. It was all Blinn from there, however, as the Bucs erupted for eight runs in the home half of the third.
Sophomore Cade Climie hit a two-run single to tie the game before freshman Caden Ferraro followed with a go-ahead RBI base hit. Sophomore Brandon Bishop added a two-run double, sophomore Coy DeFury plated Bishop with a single, and sophomore Tanner Reaves made it 8-2 with a sacrifice fly.
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Coy DeFury attempts to throw out a runner at the plate during a game against Wharton County on April 27, 2024)
The Pioneers tallied one run in the fourth, and DeFury closed out the scoring with a two-run home run in the fifth.
DeFury paced the Bucs with two hits and four RBIs.
“We’re playing for each other and putting good swings on the ball,” DeFury said. “Our job was to put runs on the board and let Davenport do his thing on the mound.”
Game two saw Blinn take control with a six-run fifth frame, but the Pioneers made it a ballgame in the seventh with five runs of their own.
A fielding error by Bucs shortstop Tony Vernars opened the doors for Wharton County’s rally, but the sophomore redeemed himself at the plate in the eighth.
Vernars sent an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left field for a two-run homer – his first of the season – to give the Bucs some much-needed breathing room.
“I’m sure he was itching to get a chance to make up for the error, and he definitely picked a great time to hit his first homer of the year,” Hart said. “I was proud of him because. Instead of sulking about the mistake, he decided to keep his head in the game and showed some toughness in a big spot.”
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Tanner Reaves puts a ball into play during a game against Wharton County on April 27, 2024)
The Bucs finished the game with 16 hits, led by three for Reaves and Vernars. Reaves hit a three-run homer in the fifth. Vernars had a team-high four RBIs. Climie, Ferraro, and sophomores Connor McGinnis and Matt Whitting had two hits apiece.
Sophomore Bryson Dudley earned the pitching victory following 2 1/3 innings of relief. Sophomore Brendan Sweeney started the game and worked four innings before being lifted for Dudley in the fifth. Sophomore Ben Bosse earned a two-inning save.
The Bucs conclude their regular season with a four-game South series against Alvin Community College beginning at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 29, in Alvin, Texas. The teams will then face off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1, in Brenham, before closing the set with a twin bill starting at noon on Friday, May 3, in Alvin.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 47 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
