#2 BUCS STEAMROLL PAST COASTAL BEND 14-6

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

The second-ranked Blinn College baseball team powered past Coastal Bend College for a 14-6, eight-inning Region XIV South road win in the opener of a four-game series Tuesday in Beeville, Texas.

The Buccaneers improved to 28-7 overall and 16-2 in the South to maintain a three-game lead over San Jacinto College-North for first place.

Blinn continues to roll (13-1 since March 8) despite recently being bitten by the injury bug.

Sophomore Caden Ferraro, who was leading the team in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in entering the night, was recently sidelined with an injury. Sophomores Lane Allen and Ethan Gonzalez both went down during Tuesday' ballgame, and sophomore ace starting pitcher Eddy Brok is currently nursing an ailment of his own and hasn't pitched since March 22.

"We're a bit wounded right now, so you love to see other guys step up when presented with opportunity," Bucs head coach Dusty Hart said. "Tonight was a hard-fought team win with a lot of guys having a hand in how things played out."

A seven-run third inning helped Blinn build enough distance to hold off Coastal Bend.

Sophomore Matt Quintanar opened the scoring for the Bucs with an RBI double in the second, and with the Bucs and Cougars tied 1-1 in the third, he struck again with a two-run single. Sophomore Bennett Fryman added an RBI double to keep the third-inning outburst going, an error brought in another run, and Gonzalez smacked a two-run base hit in his only at bat of the contest.

Coastal Bend got four back in the home half of the inning, but Blinn answered in the fourth with freshman Reece Lunsford's leadoff homer and an RBI single for sophomore Ryan Williams to make it 10-5.

A wild pitch, a sacrifice fly from freshman Trey Craig, and an RBI single for freshman Drew Britton scored three more runs for Blinn in the seventh. 

The Cougars tallied one in the bottom of the seventh.

Quintanar added another RBI double in the eighth to finish his night 5 for 5 with four RBIs.

Lunsford added three hits to Blinn's 14-hit attack.

On the mound, freshman Matt Taylor worked three innings for Blinn in his first start of the season. He allowed five runs (three earned) on five hits, walked three, and struck out two. He settled for a no-decision.

Freshman Hudson Melaerts (1-1) tossed four innings of one-run ball and struck out five en route to his first collegiate victory.

Sophomore Hunter Bond struck out three in the eighth to end the game. 

The series continues when Coastal Bend visits Blinn at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas.