BUC SOFTBALL SWEEPS #1-WALLACE ST. SATURDAY
Buccaneers hand No. 1 Wallace State two losses
PASADENA, Texas – For the better part of five years, the Blinn softball team has struggled against Wallace (Ala.) State Community College.
Here at the San Jacinto Round Robin Saturday, the Buccaneers changed their fortune against the Lady Lions.
Blinn handed No. 1-ranked Wallace State two losses Saturday, 9-5 and 10-2, as the Bucs swept their three games at the round robin. Blinn also defeated 12th-ranked Iowa Western 6-1.
“We really competed well in three games today,” Blinn (8-2) coach Rick Church said. “The girls knew that we had struggled against Wallace State the past few years, and they really competed and didn’t let down today in any inning.”
That started in the first inning of Game 1 when Blinn crossed four runs in the first, to the third game when Blinn crossed five runs in the sixth inning. The offensive production in all three games impressed Church after the team struggled in its last game against Temple College, which resulted in a 3-2 loss.
When the Lady Lions looked as if they might threaten Blinn’s lead in the first game, the Bucs responded with a three-run sixth to make it 9-4 to pull away.
Sophomore Sydney Wellmann had a four-RBI day, including a home run against Iowa Western. Peyton Webb carried a hot bat, too, with two doubles, one of which she drove in two runs in the latter game against the Lady Lions.
Freshman pitcher Mariah Gibson tossed 14 innings en route to picking up two victories. Gibson handled the Lady Lions in the first game, and then nearly shut out Iowa Western.
“Mariah really kept her composure together today,” Church said. “They hit some home runs and got after her a few times, but I’m proud of the way she kept battling and didn’t give in.”
Gibson had eight strikeouts against Iowa Western.
Freshman Jaiden Rawls got the win in the final game against Wallace State. She scattered six hits and struck out six.
“We told the girls that in the loss against Temple they didn’t play with enough grit, so we challenged them to show us some grit today, and they did that,” Church said.
For more information on Blinn softball, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
Story & photos, courtesy: Matt Keyser, Blinn Information