BLINN BASEBALL MOVES UP TO #3 AND THEN BEATS NAVARRO 8-3
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
The third-ranked Blinn College baseball team used a break from Region 14 South play to get some fresh faces on the field and on the mound Monday, and it paid off.
With a handful of reserves in the lineup and four bullpen arms on the bump, the Buccaneers rolled to an 8-3 victory over Region 14 North foe Navarro College on Monday in Corsicana, Texas.
“It was just a really good day of baseball,” Blinn head coach Dusty Hart said. “We got to get some guys some at bats who hadn’t played much, and some guys some innings who needed some work, and that’s why I love these non-region games. It gives us as coaches a chance to challenge some guys with some opportunities to step up, and they did today.”
While Blinn (21-8) got strong production from its offense, the tone was set by redshirt freshman pitcher Travis Minard.
In just his second appearance of the season and first since Feb. 3, Minard (1-0) tossed four strong innings and earned his first collegiate win in his first start. He allowed two earned runs on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
“I thought Travis was really good today,” Hart said. “He was only scheduled to go three innings, but he was so good we let him go four. He’s definitely a guy we feel like we can look to down the road to get some outs for us.”
Also making their second appearances of the year were freshmen Bryce Robinson, who tossed two innings of two-hit, one-run ball, and sophomore Matt Taylor, who worked two scoreless frames. Both pitchers struck out two hitters apiece.
Redshirt freshman Tucker Tittle came on in the ninth and struck out two Bulldogs to seal the win.
“All four of those guys threw really well,” Hart added. “It’s hard to throw guys in conference games who haven’t been tested, so we went into today with a designed plan to throw those four guys to see if they could help us down the stretch, and each one of them proved themselves today.”
Blinn’s lineup did its part with 12 hits and 12 walks.
Redshirt freshman catcher Drew Garcia, in just his second game of the season, went 2 for 5 with a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning. Freshman third baseman Brody Mattox went 0 for 2 in his third game of the season but added a pair of walks and plated a run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Blinn tallied two runs in the top of the first, two more in the third, one in the fourth, and three in the sixth.
Sophomore infielder Jacob Bohacek went 3 for 5 with a double. Sophomore infielder Hunter Smolinski, and freshman catcher/designated hitter Zachary Tuxhorn and freshman outfielder Carson Cherry added two hits apiece.
Sophomore first baseman Drew Britton singled, walked twice, and drove in three runs.
Up next for Blinn is a pivotal three-game South series with Wharton County Junior College beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday in Wharton, Texas. With identical 11-3 records, the Bucs and Pioneers are currently tied for first place in the South standings.