BUCS DOWN #3-SAN JAC IN EXTRA INNINGS; BUCS’ THEUT NAMED NJCAA PITCHER OF THE WEEK

BRENHAM, Texas — The Blinn College baseball team rallied to defeat No. 3 San Jacinto College-North 4-3 in 10 innings to even the conference series at Leroy Dreyer Field Thursday night.

With the win, the Buccaneers now hold a 15-13 overall record and 10-10 conference record.

“What a response by our club to show up and put it on the line today,” head coach Harvey McIntyre said. “Dylan Theut and Patrick Hail were nails and we set an inning up late to scratch one out. There’s nothing like a walk-off.”

Theut, who leads Blinn with 50 strikeouts this year, had a solid five-inning start. He recorded six strikeouts, and only allowed one run and two hits. Hail pitched the final five innings and earned the win. He struck out six and only allowed two runs on six hits.

Garrison Weiss led the offense with two hits and two runs, while Ben Hovda and Jett Garcia each scored one run. Hovda, Westley Schields, and Caleb Schulz each knocked in one run in the win.

“I thought our team was resilient to come back after the rain delay and find a way to win under those conditions,” Schields said. “Hail kept making pitches for us in that game with the help of a stellar defense tonight and we just found a way to pull out an all-around team win.”

After falling behind 2-1, Weiss hit a two-out double and then scored on Hovda’s single to even the score in the seventh inning.

The game remained tied until the Gators took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th inning. However, the Buccaneers were able to rally for two runs in the bottom of the inning to walk off with the win. Garcia, Hovda, and Kam Kelton each hit singles to load the bases and Schields evened the score 3-3 with a single. During the next at-bat, Hovda scored on an error for Blinn to win.

“In the moment I was just trying to get a good pitch to drive in the tying and winning runs,” Schields said. “I was able to come through for my team which was just an all-around exciting moment for us all. To come back against a team like San Jacinto is huge for us moving forward.”

Earlier in the game, the Buccaneers were the first to score in the third inning. Weiss led off the inning with a single, Tyler Russell singled, and Schields drew a walk to load the bases. Then, Schulz delivered with a one-run single for Blinn to lead 1-0.

The Buccaneers held the 1-0 lead until San Jacinto scored on a leadoff home run to tie the game. The Gators extended their lead to 2-1 in the sixth inning before the Buccaneers rallied for the win.

Next, Blinn will travel to finish off the four-game series against San Jacinto with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 17, starting at 2 p.m.

Blinn’s Dylan Theut named NJCAA Pitcher of the Week 

Theut registered a season-high 14 strikeouts in seven innings in Week 10 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Blinn College sophomore left-handed pitcher Dylan Theut (Fulshear) was named the NJCAA Division I Baseball Pitcher of the Week for his impressive performance in Week 10.

Theut led the Buccaneers to an 11-5 conference win over Galveston College with a season-high 14 strikeouts. He gave up no runs, no walks, and just two hits in seven innings to earn the win.

“It is a huge honor to be named the pitcher of the week because there are a lot of great arms out there,” Theut said. “The best part about pitching in that game was the environment, because our side was electric from the first pitch and everyone was locked in. I couldn’t say enough great things about the pitching staff from the support they bring while I’m on the mound to working together at practice and pushing each other to be great.”

Theut leads the Buccaneers with 44 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings pitched. He holds a 3-3 record and 4.26 earned run average.

“It is great to see Dylan recognized nationally for his effort and performance,” head coach Harvey McIntyre said. “He really had good command of his breaking ball and that might have been the best breaking ball he has had since he has been here, so it paid off big. He is a huge piece on our pitching staff and always competes and attacks the strike zone, so we are happy to have him.”

Theut is the third Buccaneer athlete to earn player of the week honors this season. Jayde Shelton (San Diego) was named the Tachikara NJCAA DI Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week in Week 7 and Marco Rodriguez Jr. (Rosenberg) was named the NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer Player of the Week in Week 1.

For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.

(COURTESY: Tara Dreyer, Blinn Information)