BLINN BASEBALL OPENS SERIES AGAINST SAN JAC WITH A WIN
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
In a showdown between two top-10 programs and Region 14 South rivals, the ninth-ranked Blinn College baseball team prevailed 12-9 in the opening act of a four-game series with No. 8 San Jacinto College-North on Tuesday in Houston.
“It wasn’t always pretty, but in tough moments we were able to calm down, collect ourselves, and get back on track,” Buccaneers head coach Dusty Hart said. “It felt like an old-school, knock-down, drag-out boxing match, and we did a great job of hanging in there and finding a way to win it.”
Blinn (13-6, 3-1 South) fell behind 3-0 after the first inning but responded with a six-run third. The Ravens answered with five in the fourth before the Bucs tied the game 8-8 with two runs in the fifth.
The momentum shifted permanently in the top of the seventh when sophomore first baseman Drew Britton and freshman designated hitter Zachary Tuxhorn laced back-to-back singles with no outs. Freshman third baseman Ryley Leininger then walked to load the bases before sophomore utility man Benji Barrera drew a free pass to make it 9-8. One out later, sophomore outfielder Brady Sullivan plated a run on a sacrifice fly, and after freshman catcher AJ DePaolo walked to reload the bases, sophomore infielder Hunter Smolinski worked a walk to push the lead to 11-9.
Barrera added an RBI single in the eighth to cap the scoring.
“We never strayed away from our offensive process,” Hart said. “We wanted to take the balls and hit the strikes, and I thought tonight we did a fantastic job of that.”
Blinn’s six-run third inning was fueled by a run-scoring error, a hit batsman with the bases loaded, and an RBI fielder’s choice, followed by a two-run double from Leininger and an RBI double from Barrera.
Leininger added a two-run triple in the fifth.
The Bucs finished with nine hits and nine walks.
Britton, Tuxhorn, Leininger, and Barrera had two hits apiece. Leininger finished with four RBIs, Barrera followed with three, and Smolinski added two.
Sophomore pitcher Jack Garza got the start for Blinn and settled for a no decision. He allowed seven runs (six earned) on five hits with five walks and two strikeouts across three innings.
Freshman Marc Barnhard worked three innings of relief, allowing two earned runs on two hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Sophomore Hudson Melaerts delivered the three biggest innings of the game as he earned a nine-out save. He did not allow a hit, walked two Ravens, and struck out six.
“Barnhard and Melaerts made our comeback possible,” Hart said. “Barnhard comes in after Jack exits and limits the damage, and Melaerts does what he’s done all year, which is shut the door when we really need it. I always say it starts with pitching, and that was certainly the case tonight.”
The series between the Bucs and Ravens continues at 6 p.m. Thursday at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas. The two teams will conclude the set with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday in Houston.