BUC SOFTBALL CLOSES CONFERENCE PLAY WITH SWEEP
Buccaneers conclude regular season Region XIV play with 18-6 record
HOUSTON, Texas — Blinn College softball finished regular season Region XIV play on a high note by sweeping San Jacinto College-South 5-2 and 11-2 Wednesday afternoon.
With the sweep, Blinn improves its overall record to 29-15 and concludes Region XIV play with an 18-6 record.
Blinn 5 – San Jacinto 2
The Buccaneers racked up eight hits to edge out San Jacinto 5-2 to open the doubleheader.
Meghan Morris recorded the win in the circle for the Buccaneers after only allowing two runs on seven hits, while striking out three in seven innings.
Morgan Gray went 3-for-4 to lead Blinn’s offense, while Alivia Villarreal went 2-for-3. Villarreal, Gray, Amy Alexander and Amber Langston each recorded a RBI in the victory.
Blinn took off with a 2-0 lead in the second inning after Tori Alvarez-Lopez scored on an error and Gray scored on a fielder’s choice.
San Jacinto chipped away at Blinn’s lead after scoring one run in the third and fourth innings to even the score 2-2.
The Buccaneers answered back in the fifth inning with three runs to take back the lead for good. Calli Birch led off the inning with a walk and Sydney Gutierrez followed with a double to put runners in scoring position. Villarreal drove in the first run of the inning with a single for Birch to score, while Gutierrez scored on a groundout. Gray drove in the final run of the game with a single for Villarreal to score and the Buccaneers to take a 5-2 win.
Blinn 11 – San Jacinto 2
The Buccaneers jumped out with the lead and held onto it the entire game to cruise to an 11-2 victory for the sweep.
Kamryn Boucher sealed the win in the circle for the Buccaneers after only surrendering two runs on five hits, while striking out two in five innings. Kassidy Rhoudes closed out the game with two scoreless innings, while only allowing two hits.
Courtney Ogle led the Buccaneers with three RBIs and a two-run homer, while Alvarez-Lopez was perfect at the plate with four hits in order to score three runs for Blinn. Gutierrez, Villarreal and Gabriela Gomez each drove in one run in the win.
Blinn leaped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning after Villarreal drove in the first run with a single for Gomez to score and Gutierrez stole home.
San Jacinto answered back in the bottom half with one run, but Blinn added three more in the second inning to take a 5-1 lead. Alvarez-Lopez scored on a fielder’s choice and Ogle followed with a two-run bomb over the fence for the runs.
Gomez added a run in the fourth inning after scoring on an error to give Blinn a 6-1 lead.
San Jacinto scored its final run in the fourth inning, but the Buccaneers weren’t finished scoring. They added one run in the fifth inning after Alvarez Lopez scored on an error for Blinn to lead 7-2.
Then the Buccaneers scored four more runs in the seventh inning after Gray, Ogle and Gomez each hit one-run singles and Makalah Norman finished things off by scoring on a sacrifice fly.
Blinn will finish the regular season against Louisiana State University Eunice in a doubleheader on Thursday, April 26, starting at 1 p.m. on the road.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 36 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
(COURTESY: Tara Dreyer, Blinn Information)