The win in the back end of the twin bill gave the Buccaneers a four-game series split with the Pioneers while pushing their record to 19-7 and 8-3 in the Region XIV South Zone. Wharton County won the first game 6-5 while Blinn earned an 11-1 run-rule victory in the finale.
“It was great to come out and play as well as we did after a tough loss, and it just shows you how tough the guys are,” Buccaneers head coach Dusty Hart said. “It was definitely a good win in the second game after getting punched in the mouth in the first game. We’re capable of beating anybody when we show up and play the way we know we can, and I hope we’ve learned from our mistakes.”
Wharton won game one on a run-scoring error in the bottom of the seventh frame. Blinn rallied to tie the game at 5-all in the top of the seventh with three runs but couldn’t force extra innings in the home half.
The Bucs finished with six hits, including two for freshman Brandon Bishop. Freshman Tanner Reaves singled and drove in two runs, and sophomore Tate Bethel smacked a two-run home run in the top of the third.
Freshman relief pitcher Hunter Bond was tagged with the loss after allowing an unearned run on three hits with one strikeout and two walks in 2 2/3 innings of work. Sophomore Victor Loa started for Blinn and went four innings. He gave up four runs (three earned) on four hits with seven strikeouts and four walks.
“The first game obviously was tough,” Hart added. “We had our opportunities, but we didn’t execute.”
In game two, Blinn brushed off the setback with an onslaught of early offense.
Reaves singled in freshman Marshall Lipsey for a 1-0 first inning lead, and the Bucs kept the momentum going in the second inning.
After freshmen Tony Vernars and Jake Koklhorst singled and walked, respectively, Lipsey blasted a three-run homer to left – his fourth of the season – for a 4-0 cushion. Sophomore Ian Collier later walked with the bases loaded to push the lead to five.
The Pioneers cut the lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the second, but the Bucs got right back to work in the third.
Freshman Matt Whitting scored Bethel on a sacrifice bunt, Lipsey smacked an RBI single, and Bishop singled in Lipsey to make it 8-1.
In the fifth, Reaves singled in Vernars and Whitting before Bishop scored on an error to make it a 10-run ballgame.
The Bucs finished with 10 hits. Lipsey went 3 for 4, adding a double to his stat line to go with four RBIs and three runs scored. Reaves went 3 for 4 and plated three.
On the mound, freshman pitcher Bryson Dudley improved to 3-0 on the year with a complete-game effort. He allowed two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and four walks.
“Bryson came out and commanded the strike zone,” Hart said. “We scored some runs early for him, which allowed him to relax, but he also didn’t give Wharton any room to breathe. He threw quality pitches throughout the entire game.”
Blinn resumes its season with a non-conference tilt against South Suburban College at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15, at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
