BUC BASEBALL DOWNS LAREDO, 10-5

Brett Minninch and Cameron Gibbons combine for four RBIs

LAREDO, Texas — Blinn College baseball (11-9, 4-6) took down Laredo Community College, 10-5, Friday night in the three-game conference series opener.

John Chomko recorded the win after coming in for the final 4 1/3 innings and not allowing a hit, while striking out nine.

On offense, Brett Minninch and Cameron Gibbons recorded two RBIs each. Reggie McCalister led the Buccaneers with three runs, while Jake Miller and Minninch each scored two.

An error in the first inning allowed Laredo to take a 2-0 lead, but the Buccaneers quickly claimed it by scoring three runs in the second inning. Preston Hoffart drove in Blinn’s first run with a single for McCalister to score, followed by Westley Schields getting hit by a pitch for Greyson Kash to score. Blinn pulled ahead 3-2 on Alec Sanchez’s sacrifice fly, allowing Minninch to score.

Laredo took back the lead in the fourth inning after scoring three runs and held onto it until the sixth inning when the Buccaneers evened the score 5-5. Blinn loaded the bases and then Minninch  scored on Miller’s walk and Schields scored after Gibbons was hit by a pitch.

Blinn took back a 6-5 lead when McCalister scored on a wild pitch in the seventh inning.

The Buccaneers extended its lead to 9-5 in the eighth inning after Tyler Russell hit a one-run single for Miller to score and Minninch’s double allowed Russell and McCalister to come home.

Gibbon’s single allowed Miller to score the final run for Blinn in the ninth inning.

Next, Blinn will finish the conference series on the road against Laredo with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 16, starting at noon.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 38 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com