NO. 1 BLINN BASEBALL SETTLES FOR SPLIT OF ROAD TWIN BILL AT AMARILLO

The Buccaneers won game one before the Badgers earned a walk-off win in game two

The top-ranked Blinn College baseball team nearly picked up a doubleheader sweep of Amarillo College on Friday, but ultimately settled for a split in Amarillo, Texas.

The Buccaneers picked up a 9-5 win in the opener before the Badgers earned a 13-12 walk-off victory in game two.

Blinn is now 5-3 overall.

“It was good to get the first game, but we have to just keep playing with the same intensity and care for the game after something goes our way,” Bucs head coach Dusty Hart said. “Right now, we have a habit of taking our foot off the gas. Today, we again showed what type of team we are capable of being, but we need to learn to be that team every single pitch and every single at bat.”

The Bucs took control of game one with a three-run first inning and never relinquished that momentum.

Sophomore Matt Quintanar grounded into a double play with a runner on third base to open the scoring, and after Blinn loaded the bases, sophomore Ethan Gonzalez capped the inning with a two-run single to left field.

Amarillo cut things close with two runs in the home half of the second frame, but the Bucs answered with a six-run outburst in the third.

Sophomore Bennett Fryman led off the inning with a solo home run and Gonzalez provided the big blow of the frame when he blasted a three-run shot to left to make it 7-2. Sophomore Caden Ferraro tacked on a sacrifice fly and Quintanar added an RBI double to finish the surge.

The Badgers got two back in the bottom of the third and one in the fourth.

Blinn finished with 11 hits, including two apiece for Gonzalez, Ferraro, and Fryman. Gonzalez had a team-high five RBIs.

On the mound, freshman right-hander Brok Eddy started for the Bucs and improved to 2-1 on the year. He allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits with six strikeouts and one walk in four innings of work.

In game two, the Bucs again jumped out to a first-inning lead, but Amarillo fought back with 12 runs between the second, third, and fourth frames.

Blinn trailed 12-7 heading into the sixth before sophomore Ryan Williams hit an RBI single and later came around to score on a wild pitch to pull the Bucs within two.

In the ninth, Gonzalez smashed his second home run of the day with one out, and after a walk and a hit batsman, freshman Seth Sloan hit an RBI single to make it 12-11. Williams then delivered again as he singled to center field to tie the game. 

Ferraro stepped to the plate and walked to load the bases with one out, but a hard-hit ground ball off the bat of Quintanar was craftily gobbled up by the Badger shortstop and turned into an inning-ending double play.

In the bottom of the ninth, Amarillo put its first three hitters on base before the fourth hit an RBI single to end it.

“There are some growing pains right now and we’re not firing on all cylinders yet,” Hart added, “but I don’t think we want to be, either. You don’t want to peak in February. I’m still excited for what this group can become as we get more games under our belts.”

Blinn racked up 14 hits, led by three apiece for Ferraro and Quintanar. Gonzalez and sophomore Ryder McDaniel chipped in two apiece. Ferraro hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Quintanar added a two-run shot in the fourth. Williams, Ferraro, Quintanar, Gonzalez, and freshman Trey Craig each had two RBIs.

Freshman pitcher Matt Taylor came on in the ninth and took the loss for the Bucs.

Blinn and Amarillo conclude their three-game series with a noon ballgame on Saturday in Amarillo.

Story Courtesy of:
Joe Alberico    
Blinn Sports Information Specialist