BUCS BEAT LAMAR STATE 8-2 AS CHURCH GETS WIN #1,000

Blinn Buccaneer Softball Head Coach Rick Church etched his name in history this (Thursday) afternoon with career win #1,000, as the Buccaneers defeated Lamar State 8-2 in game one of their doubleheader at Hohlt Park.

Peyton Welker got the start in the circle, and after giving up two runs in the first inning, she settled in and went the distance to get the win.

Blinn got the two runs back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Alayna Calvillo that scored Erynne Castillo with the first Buccaneer run. Ripley Welker then reached on an error that allowed the tying run to score and make it 2-2.

Blinn's biggest inning came in the third when they put five runs on the board. Darian DeLeon had an RBI single, Grace Bracken drew a walk with the bases loaded, and then Haley Hughes slugged a three-run double to give the Bucs a 7-2 lead.

Blinn would get one more insurance run on another RBI double by Hughes in the fifth inning to make it 8-2, which would end up being the final.

Coach Church is currently in his 25th season at Blinn. 926 of his 1,000 victories have come as the head coach of the Buccaneers.

He was inducted in the NJCAA Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021.