BLINN SOFTBALL SWEEPS ROAD DOUBLEHEADER OVER ANGELINA
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
No. 19 Blinn College softball rolled to an 11-4 victory in game one and rallied for a 7-5 win in the finale to complete a Region 14 South doubleheader sweep of Angelina College on Friday in Lufkin, Texas.
The Buccaneers matched their longest winning streak of the season at eight games and improved to 28-12 overall and 12-4 in South play.
"We got off to a bit of a slow start today, but once we got rolling, we didn't let up," Blinn head coach Rick Church said. "It was a really good sign that when we got down in both games, we kept competing and came back to win both."
The Bucs took three of four games from Angelina in the regular-season series.
Friday's opener remained tight into the middle innings as the Roadrunners carried a 1-0 lead into the top of the fifth.
Blinn broke through in the fifth after sophomore first baseman Daniela Lopez led off with a single. One out later, sophomore utility player Kacie Dudensing singled to center field to score freshman courtesy runner Lexi Fief and advanced to second on the throw. Sophomore outfielder Halle Scheel followed with a two-out RBI single to left, and she later scored on freshman utility player Lexis Moss' sacrifice fly for a 3-1 lead.
Angelina tied the game with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, but the Bucs responded immediately.
Sophomore catcher/third baseman Cadence Wiese led off the sixth with a single and later scored on an error. Another Roadrunner miscue allowed an additional run to cross the plate, giving Blinn a 5-3 advantage.
The Buccaneers put the game away with a six-run seventh inning. Freshman outfielder Skylar Flanagan singled and scored on a wild pitch, freshman infielder Brianna Moreno added an RBI single, and Moss launched a two-run home run to center. Freshman infielder Londyn Holland and freshman outfielder Presli Moebes each contributed RBI singles to cap the surge.
Blinn finished with 11 hits, including two-hit performances from Scheel and Lopez.
In the circle, freshman Jamison Wlos (2-2) earned the win in relief, allowing one unearned run on one hit with no walks and three strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings.
"Hats off to Jamison for coming in and getting a win in a clutch performance," Church said. "She shut Angelina down and helped set us up for the rally."
Sophomore pitcher Brynn Gallamore started and received a no-decision after allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and four walks with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
Blinn used another late push to complete the sweep in game two.
The Bucs built a 3-0 lead early behind Moreno's RBI single in the first and a second-inning RBI double from Holland along with a run-scoring single from sophomore catcher Madysen Taylor. Angelina answered with two runs in the second and three in the fourth to take a 5-3 lead.
Blinn evened the score in the sixth when Wiese and Holland hit solo home runs.
Moss then delivered the decisive blow in the seventh with a two-run home run to left, putting the Buccaneers on top for good. Moss and Wiese now have 10 home runs this season and share the team lead with sophomore infielder Annie Beckendorf.
Flanagan, Scheel, Moreno, Lopez, and Holland each recorded two hits as Blinn totaled 13. Holland and Lopez doubled, and Scheel added a triple.
Gallamore (15-6) returned in relief to earn the win, allowing two earned runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts across four innings.
"She was like a completely different pitcher when she came back," Church said. "She pitched with certainty and did the job we asked of her."
Sophomore pitcher Madisyn Bracknell started the game and received a no-decision after allowing three runs (two earned) in three innings. She walked four and struck out one.
Up next, the Buccaneers host a critical South doubleheader against San Jacinto College-South beginning at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, at Hohlt Park in Brenham, Texas. Blinn currently leads the Ravens atop the South standings but has played four more games. San Jacinto-South will have a chance to close the gap when it faces Lamar State College-Port Arthur in a South twin bill Saturday.