#11-BUC SOFTBALL TAKES TWO AT GALVESTON

Buccaneers defeat No. 13 Temple and Connors State

GALVESTON, Texas — The No. 11 Blinn College softball team (5-5) picked up two wins  at the Galveston College Invitational on Friday.

Blinn started the day with a 4-1 win over No. 13 Temple College, then defeated Connors State College, 8-3. Bossier Parish Community College gave Blinn an 8-2 loss in the final game of the tournament.

Blinn 4 – Temple 1

Two home runs off the bats of Jordyn Smith and Amy Hitt helped lead the Buccaneers to a 4-1 win over Temple.

Hitt went 2-for-3 for two RBIs and one run to lead Blinn’s offense, while Smith drove in one run and scored one run for the Buccaneers. In addition, Marley Mahoney knocked in one run and Julissa Llanos scored one run in the win.

Nevada Dolnik earned her first win of the season after allowing eight hits and one run in seven inning, while striking out two.

After two scoreless innings, Blinn landed on the board with one run. Following a single off the bat of Mikaela Lopez, Mahoney cranked a double for Lopez to score.

In the fourth inning, Smith and Hitt each hit homers for Blinn to jump to a 4-0 lead. Smith led off the inning with a solo shot over the fence, while Hitt cranked a two-run homer for Llanos to also score.

Temple scored its only run in the seventh inning before falling.

Blinn 8 – Connors State 3

Mackenzie Crews and Smith combined for four RBIs to lift the Buccaneers to an 8-3 win over Connors State.

Crews drove in two runs and scored one run, while Smith drove in two and scored one. Samantha Rodriguez was perfect at the plate with three hits for one RBI and scored two runs. Bailey Zibelin, Renna Tommey and Hitt all knocked in one run to help out in the win.

Toomey sealed the win in the circle, only allowing three runs on six hits and striking out seven in seven innings.

Blinn wasted no time in taking a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Italie Speziale was hit by a pitch, Rodriguez singled and Crews walked to load the bases for Smith’s double to score a pair of runs. Zibelin and Tommey followed with back-to-back singles for two more runs to score, while Hitt brought the fifth run home on a sacrifice fly.

Connors State scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning to gain on Blinn, 5-2, but the Buccaneers scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to stay ahead 8-2. Chloe Woodward started things off with a single and scored off a Rodriguez double. Crews unloaded the bases with a two-run homer for Blinn to lead by six runs.

Connors State scored its final run in the bottom of the fourth inning for Blinn to take the win.

Bossier Parish 8 – Blinn 2

Blinn concluded the tournament with an 8-2 loss to Bossier Parish.

Crews led the offense with two hits and one RBI, while Mahoney and Bailee Stanzione each scored one run.

Bossier Parish took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but Blinn tied the game in the top of the second inning when Stanzione scored on an error.

Blinn took a 2-1 lead in the third inning when Crews singled to center field for Mahoney to score.

Bossier Parish leveled the score in the bottom of the third inning and tacked on three runs in the fourth inning to lead 5-2. The Lady Cavs added one run in the fifth inning and two runs in the sixth for the win.

Next, the Buccaneers will head home to face Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 15, starting at 1 p.m. at Hohlt Park.

For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.

(COURTESY: Tara Dreyer, Blinn Information)