BUC SOFTBALL DOUBLE DIPS LAMAR STATE P.A.

No. 18 Blinn pulls out a pair of one-run victories to sweep Lamar – Port Arthur, 4-3 and 7-6

Buccaneers improve to 9-1 in conference play

BRENHAM, Texas – No. 18 Blinn College softball pulled out a pair of exciting one-run victories to sweep Lamar State College – Port Arthur by the score of 4-3 and 7-6 Tuesday afternoon at Hohlt Park in Brenham.

“We were quite fortunate today and got a little help from our opponents,” said Blinn coach Rick Church. “A lot of things were working well today for us so to walk out of here with two one-run victories is very fortunate.”

The pair of victories gives the Buccaneers a three-game winning streak and a 24-13 overall record and a 9-1 Region XIV record. Blinn is tied with Galveston College (7-1) in the loss column atop the standings in the South Zone Division.

Blinn 4 – Port Arthur 3

Blinn fell behind by two runs on two different occasions but the Buccaneers had enough grit to pull out the come from behind 4-3 victory over Port Arthur in the opening game.

Port Arthur outhit Blinn 12 to 5 but it was the Buccaneers coming up with the hits when necessary. Katie Andrie came away with the go-ahead RBI single in the fifth inning and also added a solo home run to drive in two of the four total runs.

“I would rather put a team away early but I didn’t feel any more pressure at the plate with it begin a tight game,” Andrie said. “As a team, we feel like if we do get down early that we are able to score runs to get back into games.”

Meghann Wrinkle drove in the other two runs with a two-run double in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3.

Bobbi Berkey started the game for Blinn in the circle and pitched into the fourth inning. Faith Genoway came on in relief to earn the victory and Sam Junkin came on in the seventh with two runners on base and no out and shut down Port Arthur for the save.

Port Arthur started fast with two runs in the first inning for a 2-0 lead. With one swing of the bat, Andrie cut the Port Arthur lead in half with a solo home run to left in the fourth to get Blinn within 2-1. Port Arthur would get that single run back in the fifth to build up a 3-1 lead.

The Buccaneers saved their best hitting in the fifth inning when Cheyenne Trader reached on an error and Ashley Langston singled. Wrinkle brought both in with a double off the wall in center to tie the game at 3-3. Andrie followed by dropping in a single to right for the go-ahead and eventual game-winning hit for a 4-3 lead that would hold up with the help of Junkin in the seventh.

Blinn 7 – Port Arthur 6

Blinn dug itself an even bigger hole in the second game with Lamar scoring four runs in the first but again the Buccaneers came back to earn the sweep with a 7-6 victory in extra innings over Port Arthur.

Katy Sawyer only had one hit in the second game but that hit came in the eighth inning with a walk-off RBI single to left-center to score Andrie for the winning run.

“I was just trying to focus on that at-bat and not think about my previous at-bats,” Sawyer said, about the game-winning single.

As a team, Blinn did much better hitting the ball with 13 total hits. Jordin Wilkins had a big game with a three-run home run and a single. Wrinkle had a solo home run and Kalli Edwards also drove in a run for the Buccaneers.

After a bumpy start in the circle, Junkin settled down to pitch 6 1-3 innings and strike out four in the no-decision. Genoway came on in relief and earned the win in 1 2-3 innings of work and giving up only a hit and a walk.

Port Arthur jumped on Blinn in the first inning with a grand slam for a 4-0 lead after a half-inning. Blinn would bounce back in the second inning when Trader was hit by a pitch to lead off and Seeley Orsak came in to pinch run and scored on a bunt single to get within 4-1.

Wrinkle brought in the second run with a fielder’s choice and then Wilkins delivered the big blow with a three-run home run to center for a 5-4 Blinn lead. Port Arthur would tie the game up with a single run in the third to make the score 5-5.

Wrinkle got that lead right back in the sixth inning with a solo home run to left to give the Buccaneers a 6-5 lead that would disappear in the seventh when Port Arthur scored a run to make the score 6-6 and force extra innings.

With two outs in the eighth, Blinn started a rally with back-to-back singles by Andrie and Wilkins and then Sawyer took advantage with a single to left-center to score Andrie for the walk-off winner.

Blinn will play another doubleheader at home on Friday, March 25 against San Jacinto College-South starting at 1 p.m.

For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.

(Story & photos courtesy, Jake Gordon, Blinn Information)