NO. 5 BLINN BASEBALL OPENS REGION XIV SUPER REGIONAL WITH A BANG AS BUCCANEERS ROUT NO 23 SAN-JACINTO NORTH

Brok Eddy pitched a complete game and Matt Quintanar hit two home runs in the run-rule victory

The fifth-ranked Blinn College baseball team is on the brink of back-to-back-to-back JUCO World Series appearances.

The Buccaneers opened the Region XIV South Super Regional series with a convincing 15-2, six-inning victory over No. 23 San Jacinto College-North on Thursday at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas.

Blinn (45-13) is now one win away from its third super regional championship in as many seasons as the Bucs look to prolong the defense of their 2024 national championship.

The Bucs and Ravens continue their best-of-three series at 6 p.m. on Friday in Brenham. A San Jacinto victory would push the series to a decisive game three at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Brenham. Should Blinn prevail, it will advance to the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series, which begins Saturday, May 24, in Grand Junction, Colo.

Thursday’s matchup featured two of Region XIV’s best pitchers, with Blinn sending all-Region XIV South first-team selection Brok Eddy to the mound to duel with Region XIV South Pitcher of the Year Ty Roman.

“I think we were all anticipating a 2-1 or a 3-2 ballgame when looking at the two great pitchers who were going on both sides today,” Bucs head coach Dusty Hart said. “We know what Eddy is capable of; you trust that guy every time he’s out there and our hitters are confident when he’s on the mound. He made the pitches when he needed to and kept a really good offense at bay.”

Eddy was spectacular as he improved to 11-3 on the season. He went the distance while allowing two earned runs on five hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts. 

San Jacinto grabbed a first-inning lead on an RBI single, but Blinn shrugged off the early deficit with a two-run home run from sophomore Matt Quintanar – his first of two on the day.

The Bucs made it 3-1 on freshman Reece Lunsford’s RBI single in the second frame.

In the third, sophomore Bennett Fryman launched a leadoff home run, and after sophomore Lane Allen singled and advanced to second on a passed ball, freshman Kason Atkins drove him in with a single. Sophomore Ryder McDaniel kept the inning going with a sacrifice fly that made it 6-1.

An RBI single from freshman Drew Britton pushed the Bucs’ lead to 7-1 in the fifth. 

The Ravens got one run back on a solo homer in the sixth, but Blinn exploded in its half of the inning to put the game away.

Quintanar opened an eight-run outburst with a one-out solo homer, and Britton later drew a bases loaded walk. McDaniel added an RBI single and Lunsford reached on an error to make it 11-2. Sophomore Caden Ferraro then blasted a grand slam for his 17th longball of the season to put the run rule into effect.

Blinn racked up 18 hits, including at least one from each Buc in the lineup. Fryman and McDaniel finished with three hits apiece, while Quintanar, Lunsford, Allen, Britton, and sophomore Ethan Gonzalez had two apiece.

“We did a really good job of sticking to the plan today and didn’t let up even when we got Roman out of the game,” Hart added. “We never took our foot off the gas pedal.”

Story Courtesy of:
Joe Alberico   
Blinn Sports Information Specialist