BUC SOFTBALL GOES 1-1 ON FINAL DAY OF ROUND ROBIN

Buccaneers close out 2018 Region XIV Round Robin tournament with 3-1 record a

Amber Langston hit two home runs in Blinn’s third tournament win

LONGVIEW, Texas — Blinn College softball opened the final day of the 2018 Region XIV Round Robin tournament with its’ third straight run-rule victory after defeating Bossier Parish Community College, 11-2. The Buccaneers finished the day with their first loss in the tournament dealt by Trinity Valley Community College by the score of 8-7 to finish the tournament 3-1.

With the split, the Buccaneers overall record moves to 11-9.

Blinn 11 – Bossier Parish 2

The top of the lineup shined in the Buccaneers 11-9 run-rule win over Bossier Parish to open the day as Tori Alvarez-Lopez, Amber Langston and Sydney Gutierrez combined for eight of Blinn’s 14 hits.

In addition, the top three in the batting order drove in two runs each and combined for six runs in the victory. Langston led the offense with three hits, while scoring three runs and hitting two home runs. Amy Alexander and Sarah Cedillo each recorded a RBI in the win, while Cedillo also scored two runs.

Meghan Morris went 2-0 in the tournament after sealing the win in five innings of work. She surrendered two runs on nine hits, while striking out three and walking one.

Although Bossier Parish took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, by the bottom of the inning Blinn held a 2-1 lead that the Buccaneers held for the remainder of the game. Langston put the first run on the board with a solo home run to even the score 1-1, while Alexander drove in the second run with a single to score Gutierrez.

In the second inning Blinn pulled away with four runs. Cedillo scored the first run of the inning on an error. Alvarez-Lopez followed with a one-run single to score Morgan Gray and Gutierrez drove in the next two runs with a single for Blinn to lead 6-1.

In the fourth inning Blinn scored five runs beginning with a solo home run off Langston’s bat. Cedillo hit a one-run single to score Gutierrez, while Makalah Norman and Calli Birch scored on the same error. Cedillo scored the final run of the inning for Blinn to lead 11-1.

Bossier Parish scored its’ final run in the top of the fifth inning before falling 11-2.

Trinity Valley 8 – Blinn 7

The Buccaneers lost to Trinity Valley, 8-7, to close out the tournament despite outhitting the Cardinals eight to seven and holding a 5-0 lead in the third inning.

Cedillo led Blinn’s offense with two RBIs and one run, while Emily Noah and Gray each recorded one RBI and Gutierrez scored two runs.

Blinn jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the third inning after two runs scored on two errors. Trinity Valley totaled six errors in the game and Alvarez-Lopez was the first to score off one to lead off the inning. Later in the inning Noah scored on an error, while Cedillo drove in two runs and Gray drove in one.

Trinity Valley managed to score five runs in the bottom of the third inning to even things back up 5-5.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Trinity Valley took the lead for the first time after scoring three runs.

Trailing 8-5 in the top of the seventh inning Blinn rallied for two runs. Langston led off the inning with a double followed by a single by Gutierrez. Langston and Gutierrez each scored on an error made by the catcher. Although Trinity Valley committed two more errors in the inning, Blinn couldn’t get another run across the plate.

Blinn will open Region XIV conference play against Laredo Community College on Friday, March 9 in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m on the road.

For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.

(Courtesy; Tara Dreyer, Blinn Information)