BUCS BEAT GALVESTON 11-9 TO EARN SERIES SWEEP

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

Looking for a key Region XIV South series sweep Sunday, the No. 7 Blinn College baseball team found its broom in the eighth inning and used it in the ninth.

The Buccaneers erased a seven-run deficit with an eight-run eighth frame and snapped a tie in the ninth to stun Galveston College 11-9 and earn a three-game sweep of the Whitecaps in Galveston.

Winners of six in a row, Blinn improved to 20-6 overall and 8-2 in the South, where it now owns a two-game lead over second-place San Jacinto College-North. By way of the sweep, Galveston dropped from first to third place.

Blinn led 1-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning with freshman starting pitcher Hayden Morris cruising. He finally hit some turbulence in the sixth as the Whitecaps got to the right-hander for four earned runs before tagging freshman relief pitcher Bryce McCain for one.

Galveston scored three more in the seventh to take an 8-1 lead.

Blinn came storming back in the top of the eighth, starting with a leadoff walk from freshman Brady Sullivan. One out later, freshman Reece Lunsford singled, sophomore Lane Allen walked to load the bases, and sophomore Caden Ferraro plated the first run of the inning on an RBI single.

The barrage was on from there as sophomore Matt Quintanar walked to plate a run, sophomore Bennett Fryman hit an RBI single, freshman Trey Craig was walked to score another tally, and a wild pitch from Quintanar home. Freshman Drew Britton kept things going when he was hit by a pitch to reload the bases. In his second at bat of the inning, Sullivan hit a sacrifice fly to drive in another run before pinch runner Seth Sloan and Britton scored on a wild pitch to give the visitors the lead.

Galveston scraped across a tally in home half of the eighth. 

Blinn took the lead for good in the ninth after Allen and Ferraro opened the inning with back-to-back singles. A one-out balk by the Whitecap pitcher advanced both runners, and Fryman put his team on top for good with a two-run single.

Sophomore relief pitcher Hunter Bond came on in the bottom of the inning and set down the Whitecaps in order to earn the save.

Morris settled for a no decision following 5 1/3 innings of work. He allowed six hits, one walk, and struck out eight. Sophomore Paxton Terveen picked up the win after giving up one earned run on three hits with one walk in 1 2/3 frames.

Blinn's offense racked up 10 hits and drew nine walks.

Fryman had two hits and three RBIs, while Ferraro and Quintanar also had two hits apiece.

Next up for the Bucs is a four-game South set with Wharton County Junior College beginning with a nine-inning ballgame at 6 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham.