BLINN BASEBALL DROPS TWO TO SAN JACINTO

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

A pair of one-run losses spoiled a potential big day for No. 2 Blinn College baseball on Saturday.

San Jacinto College-North defeated the Blinn 1-0 and 7-6 and trimmed the Buccaneers' lead over the Ravens in the Region XIV South standings to two games.

San Jacinto took two of three from Blinn and prevented the Bucs from building on their first-place cushion in the South.

"That's a really good team we faced today, and playing on the road is always difficult," Blinn head coach Dusty Hart said. "At the end of the day, we did not deserve to win. We didn't make pitches, we didn't get big hits, and we definitely didn't play good defense. In games against good teams, the smallest, most minute mistakes can cost you. Bottom line, they wanted it more than we did."

A pitching duel highlighted Saturday's opener, with the Ravens' Ty Roman taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Bucs freshman Benji Berrera broke up the no-no with a leadoff single, but Roman retired the next three hitters he faced to close out the win.

Blinn sophomore pitcher Brok Eddy (7-2) was the tough-luck loser despite spinning five stellar innings of one-run ball. He gave up seven hits, walked two, and struck out three.

The Bucs battled in game two and rallied to force a tie in the top of the ninth inning, but a defensive miscue in the bottom of the inning allowed the Ravens to earn the walk-off victory.

San Jacinto grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning before Blinn answered immediately with a run-scoring hit by pitch and a sacrifice fly from freshman Reece Lunsford.

The Ravens regained the lead with a run in the third and pushed their advantage to 5-2 in the fourth. The Bucs trimmed their deficit in the fifth when sophomore Ethan Gonzalez drew a bases loaded walk and freshman Drew Britton scored on a wild pitch.

A San Jacinto home run in the home half of the fifth made it 6-4.

Sophomore Caden Ferraro got Blinn going again with an RBI groundout in the sixth, and Berrera tied the game in the top of the ninth with a sac fly.

The Ravens walked it off in the ninth when a single to center field led to a bobbled catch on the relay throw, which allowed San Jacinto's Colton Wemhoff to score from second.

The Bucs finished with seven hits, including two apiece for Gonzalez and sophomore Matt Quintanar.

Blinn sophomore pitcher Hunter Bond (3-1) was charged with the loss. He allowed three hits, an unearned run, and a walk, and struck out one in one inning of work.

Freshman pitcher Hayden Morris started for the Bucs and lasted four innings. He was charged with five runs (three earned) on six hits with three walks and five punchouts.

Blinn will look to get back on track when it opens a four-game South series against Galveston College at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15, in Galveston, Texas.