BLINN BASEBALL WRAPS UP REGULAR SEASON WITH A SWEEP OF WHARTON
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
The No. 5 Blinn College baseball team closed the regular season in dominant fashion.
The Buccaneers earned a 15-0, 15-10 doubleheader sweep of Region 14 South foe Wharton County Junior College on Thursday in Wharton, Texas.
Blinn (40-12, 29-7 South) extended its season-high winning streak to eight games and reached the 40-win mark for the fourth consecutive season.
The Buccaneers clinched the South regular-season title with a victory over the Pioneers in Monday’s series opener, but didn’t let up. They followed with an 18-11 win Tuesday before rolling again Thursday.
“You want to be playing your best baseball at this time of the year, and I think we’ve hit our stride in terms of what our standard is,” Blinn head coach Dusty Hart said. “I knew we’d get after it in game one of the series in a clinching situation, but I really didn’t know what to expect the rest of the way. I was extremely proud of the way we played this week.”
In game one, the Bucs used an eight-run second inning to roll past Wharton County in five innings. Blinn added five runs in the third and two in the fourth.
The Bucs racked up 14 hits, led by a four-hit effort from sophomore outfielder Brady Sullivan, who doubled three times and drove in a run.
Sophomore infielder Jacob Bohacek had two hits, including a double, and drove in a team-high four RBIs. Sophomore infielder Drew Britton doubled as part of a two-hit, three-RBI effort. Sophomore utility player Benji Barrera added two hits and two RBIs, freshman utility player Dane Perry had a pair of hits and two RBIs, and freshman third baseman Ryley Leininger drove in two.
Sophomore left-hander Ben Polleschultz (5-0) earned the win after allowing two hits across four innings. He struck out three.
“Polleschultz was really sharp and locked in,” Hart said. “He landed all of his pitches for strikes, and he’s extremely tough when he does that. When he’s firing on all cylinders, he’s tough to beat.”
Sophomore reliever Hudson Melaerts worked a perfect fifth inning to end it.
The finale required a late rally, as the Bucs overcame deficits of 6-1 and 8-5 with 10 runs across the final four innings.
In the top of the sixth, Blinn surged ahead with four runs.
Bohacek delivered an RBI single, freshman designated hitter Austin Glasscock drove in a run with a groundout, and sophomore utility player Kason Atkins added an RBI single to give the Bucs a 9-8 lead.
The Pioneers briefly regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Blinn tied the game on a Britton RBI groundout in the seventh.
Freshman third baseman Brody Mattox put the Bucs ahead for good in the eighth when he reached on an error to plate the go-ahead run.
In the ninth, Glasscock sparked another rally with an RBI single, Barrera followed with an RBI double, and Perry capped the scoring with a run-scoring hit.
“We had every excuse in the world to lose that game, pack it up, and head into the playoffs with the series win under our belts,” Hart added. “But the guys played for pride and played the game the right way. Unselfish at-bats, big hits in big moments, and big pitches on the mound … it was great to see.”
Sophomore outfielder Reece Lunsford led the Bucs’ 17-hit attack with a 4-for-5 performance. He tripled and scored four runs.
Britton hit his eighth home run of the season in the first inning as part of a three-hit outing and drove in three RBIs. Bohacek had two hits and two RBIs, while Barrera and Sullivan had two hits apiece. Perry and Atkins each drove in two runs.
Freshman pitcher Trevor Moore started for Blinn and received a no-decision after allowing six earned runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
Sophomore Matt Taylor allowed four runs (three earned) in 2 1/3 innings of relief.
Redshirt freshman Landon Bowden (3-0) earned the win after tossing 2 1/3 innings of two-hit ball with three walks and five strikeouts. Leininger worked the ninth inning and struck out one to close it out.
Up next, Blinn will host the Region 14 South Regional Tournament beginning Thursday, May 7, at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas. Four teams will make up the bracket, with the Bucs seeded first. The full field has yet to be determined.