A stellar pitching performance from Brok Eddy in game one and a ninth-inning rally in the finale paved the way to a Region XIV South doubleheader sweep for the No. 4 Blinn College baseball team.
The Buccaneers earned a split of their four-game series with San Jacinto College-North with 12-2 (six innings) and 4-3 victories Saturday at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas.
“I’m just really pleased with the fight we showed today,” Blinn head coach Dusty Hart said. “Nothing makes you prouder as a coach. After dropping the first two games of the series, we battled all day today. We won game one only to find ourselves down two runs in the ninth inning of game two on a miserably cold and wet field, and we had all the opportunity in the world to give in; we stuck together and found a way to pull it out. Proud is an understatement.”
The Bucs improved to 16-6 overall and 5-2 in the South.
The day ended on a high note thanks to a three-run ninth-inning comeback, capped by a big swing of the bat from sophomore Matt Quintanar.
Blinn faced a 3-1 deficit in the ninth but staged its rally in four consecutive at bats.
Freshman Reece Lunsford led off the inning with a single, sophomore Lane Allen followed with a walk, and sophomore Caden Ferraro loaded the bases with a single. Quintanar then came to the plate, and after a wild pitch scored Lunsford to bring the Bucs within two, he singled on a ground ball to center field to plate Allen and Ferraro for the win.
Blinn finished with nine hits and seven walks, including two hits apiece for Quintanar and Ferraro.
Sophomore Ryan Williams put the Bucs on top with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning before San Jacinto answered with three runs in the eighth.
Blinn got an impressive start from freshman Hayden Morris, who allowed one hit and three walks while striking out eight Ravens across 6 innings of work.
Freshman pitcher Jack Garza worked 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win.
Game one lacked the dramatics of the nightcap but proved just as rewarding for the Bucs.
Eddy, a sophomore, continued his torrid start to the season with 5 2/3 strong innings. He allowed two earned runs on four hits with two walks and five punchouts. Sophomore Bryce McCain relieved Eddy with two outs in the sixth and struck out the only hitter he faced to end the inning.
Eddy improved to 6-1 on the year and now boasts an impressive 2.48 earned run average. He is among the NJCAA Division I leaders in wins.
Collectively, Eddy and Morris, Blinn’s No. 1 and No. 2 starters, have a collective ERA of 2.39, making them one of JUCO’s elite pitching duos.
Blinn’s offense backed Eddy with nine hits and a robust 14 walks.
Allen got the Bucs on the board first in the bottom of the second with a two-run home run. Blinn tacked on three runs in the third, two in the fifth, and five in the sixth to enforce the run rule.
Ferraro hit a two-run home in the fifth to make it 7-1.
Freshman Trey Craig drew a bases loaded walk in the sixth to make it 12-2 and end the ballgame.
Lunsford went 3 for 4 with a double and four RBIs, Allen had two hits and drove in three runs, and Ferraro went 2 for 2 with three walks and two RBIs. Quintanar also drove in a pair.
Up next, Blinn battles No. 5 McLennan Community College at 2 p.m. Monday at Leroy Dreyer Field.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 49 national championships since 1987.
