HOUSTON, Texas – Blinn College baseball didn’t end the season how it would have liked with a sweep by the hands of San Jacinto College-North by the score of 1-0 and 13-12 Saturday afternoon in Houston.
Regardless of the outcome Saturday, Blinn already had its playoff fate sealed as the fourth seed out of the Region XIV South Zone with a conference record of 16-22 and an overall record of 26-24.
Justin Penney threw a strong game on the mound in the first game for Blinn by pitching a complete game and only allowing four hits and a run in the loss. The Buccaneers could only muster three hits on offense and two of those came from Ben Upton with a double and a single.
San Jacinto got its lone run in the fourth inning and Blinn left eight on base to lose 1-0 in the opening game.
Offense was a different story in the second game as Blinn fell behind 8-0 early on but had the offense to get within one in the final inning but San Jacinto was able to hold on for the 13-12 win.
Jager Toffan brought in three runs with a double and a single. Patrick King and Hunter Lehman each brought in a pair of runs while Reed Robinson, James Barry and Upton each had an RBI in the loss.
Blinn dug itself a hole early on as San Jacinto built an 8-0 lead after two innings. Blinn did chip away a little in the third when Cullen Jozwiak singled and King was hit by a pitch to begin the inning. Toffan drove in two runs with a double to right and then Barry added an RBI single to left to get within 8-3 of San Jacinto. San Jacinto was able to add a run in the bottom of the third to make the score 9-3.
Blinn just kept on coming right back in the fourth inning when Jose Reyes walked and Jozwiak followed with a single. King brought in a pair with a double to left to make the score 9-5. Upton and Toffan both singled and then scored in the inning to get within 9-7 of San Jacinto.
Blinn got within a run in the fifth inning when Lehman started it with a double and then Robinson followed with a double to score Lehman to make the score 9-8. Blinn eventually tied the game at 9-9 in the sixth inning with an RBI single by Lehman to right.
San Jacinto did take the lead right back in the bottom of the sixth with three runs and then added an additional run in the eighth inning for a 13-9 lead.
Blinn did take its last shot at a comeback in the ninth inning when Reyes, Jozwiak and King all walked to begin the inning. Upton singled in a run and then Toffan was hit by a pitch to score a run that would be the 11th. Lehman was able to get Blinn within one with a single to center but that would be the final run scored as San Jacinto held on for a 13-12 victory.
Blinn will begin the Region XIV Tournament with a first round game against Navarro College at Skeeter Park in Sugar Land on Friday, May 8 at 5 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit: www.buccaneersports.com.
