BLINN SOFTBALL SWEEPS SAN-JACINTO SOUTH ON FINAL DAY OF REGULAR SEASON TO WIN REGION XIV SOUTH

The Buccaneers captured the South crown for the first time since 2019

An unprecedented midseason turnaround for the Blinn College softball team was completed Sunday as the Buccaneers swept a doubleheader from Region XIV South rival San Jacinto College-South in Houston.

Blinn defeated the Ravens 9-6 and 5-1 to conclude the regular season.

The Bucs ended their regular season with a 23-21 overall record and a 19-5 mark in the South standings, and finished first in the South for the first time since 2019. 

After beginning the year just 5-17 overall, the Bucs went on a furious 18-4 run starting March 17. They also began region play with a 2-4 record, only to go 17-1 the rest of the way. By virtue of its sweep of San Jacinto, Blinn went 4-0 against the third-place Ravens this spring and won a tiebreaker with Galveston College for the South crown.

“I am extremely proud of what this team has accomplished after what I’ve said was a horrendous start to the season,” Blinn head coach Rick Church said. “What we’ve been able to do over the last five weeks is a tribute to how hard we’ve fought and battled to get ourselves back into this thing. Winning the South is the payoff for all of our hard work down the stretch, and now I’m excited to see us bring a full competitive tank into the regional tournament.”

Blinn’s first-place finish gives them a top seed for the upcoming eight-team Region XIV Tournament at Bossier Parish Community College in Bossier City, La. Matchups, game times, and dates have yet to be decided.

The Bucs got their day started Sunday with a come-from-behind win over San Jacinto.

The Ravens led 1-0 after the first frame, 3-1 after two innings of play, and 4-3 heading into the fifth. From there, Blinn scored two runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh frames to power ahead.

Trailing 4-3 in the fifth, freshman Cadence Wiese drew a lead-off walk and freshman Annie Beckendorf clubbed a two-run home run to left field to put her team on top.

Freshman Kacie Dudensing laced an RBI double to left in the sixth and sophomore Grace Bracken followed with an RBI single to make it 6-4.

After the Ravens made it 7-5 in the home half of the sixth, the Bucs tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the seventh on a run-scoring double from sophomore Darian DeLeon and an RBI single for sophomore Bailey Boetjer.

“We piled up some doubles and sprinkled in home runs at the plate today, and overall did a good job with our approach,” Church said. “I’m really happy with the way our offense is competing at the plate right now.”

A bases loaded walk drawn by San Jacinto in the bottom of the seventh capped the scoring before Blinn freshman pitcher Brynn Gallamore ended the bases loaded threat with a strikeout. 

The Bucs finished with 15 hits, led by a pair of three-hit performances for Dudensing and Bracken. Dudensing had three of Blinn’s six doubles and drove in two runs, while Bracken had a double and three RBIs.

Sophomore starting pitcher Paige Bunting improved to 11-9 on the year after working five innings. She allowed five runs (three earned) on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Gallamore tossed two innings of three-hit ball. She allowed an earned run while walking two and fanning two.

In game two, freshman pitcher Madisyn Bracknell tossed her third complete game of the season to propel the Bucs to victory.

Bracknell allowed an earned run on six hits while walking two and punching out a pair. She improved to 5-2 on the season.

“Madisyn has started believing in herself a ton late in the season, and I think that’s been the difference for her,” Church said. “She worked out of some tough situations today, and her ability to buckle down and escape trouble is a big reason why we were able to complete the sweep.”

Blinn again rallied out of a 1-0, first-inning deficit. 

In the top of the second inning, with two runners on, Bracken reached on an error that sent two runs to the plate.

Wiese padded the Bucs’ lead with a leadoff homer in the top of the fourth. 

An error led to another Blinn run in the sixth, and a DeLeon RBI single in the seventh closed out the scoring.

Wiese and Dudensing had two hits apiece to pace the Bucs’ seven-hit effort.

Story Courtesy of:
Joe Alberico   
Blinn Sports Information Specialist