BUC SOFTBALL DOUBLE DIPS MCLENNAN

 Blinn College softball run-rules McLennan, 14-6 and 17-4

Buccaneers claim eighth straight win

BRENHAM, Texas — Blinn College softball (27-12, 10-0) picked up its eighth straight win by sweeping McLennan Community College Monday at Hohlt Park.

The Buccaneers totaled 31 runs in the doubleheader in order to run-rule McLennan 14-6 in six innings and 17-4 in five innings.

“We had a lot of solid contact and got hits at the right time, so I am happy with our offense today,” said Rick Church, Blinn head coach.

Blinn 14 – McLennan 6

Blinn tallied 17 hits, including three doubles, to reach double digits on the scoreboard and defeat McLennan 14-6 in six innings to open the doubleheader.

Tori Alvarez-Lopez did her job as the leadoff hitter, going 3-for-4 and scoring three runs, while Amber Langston went 2-for-2 to lead Blinn with three RBIs.

“I felt really strong as the leadoff today and it was nice that we were all able to string hits together,” said Alvarez-Lopez.

Meghan Morris recorded the win after dealing all six innings and surrendering six runs on nine hits.

Blinn’s offense struck early to propel the Buccaneers to a 9-1 lead in three innings. The Buccaneers scored two runs in the first inning after Alvarez-Lopez scored on a sacrifice fly and Kimber Cortemelia scored on a single by Bailey Zibelin. McLennan divided Blinn’s lead in half in the second inning, but the Buccaneers answered  back with four runs in the bottom half after Sarah Cedillo hit a two-run single and Maria Garcia hit a two-run double.

The Buccaneers added three more runs in the third inning when Anna Pisaro scored on Alvarez-Lopez’s single, and Alvarez-Lopez and Mackenzi Crews scored on Amber Langston’s single.

McLennan gained on Blinn 9-6 after scoring one run in the fourth inning and four runs in the fifth inning. However, the Buccaneers came back with five runs in the sixth inning for the run-rule win. Zibelin sparked Blinn’s offense in the inning with a single for Langston to score, while Pisaro followed with a two-run double to plate Garcia and Zibelin. Pisaro scored Blinn’s final run on a sacrifice fly to conclude the game.

Blinn 17– McLennan 4

Blinn kept the momentum rolling into the second game of the doubleheader to run-rule McLennan 17-4 in five innings for the sweep.

Zibelin drove in four runs, while Lexi Harris drove in three to lead Blinn’s offense. Harris and Langston each totaled three runs in the win.

“We rallied off of each other and it is nice that we are all capable of making things happen,” Zibelin said. “These wins give us more confidence because we now know we can put runs up like we did today.”

Alysa Torres recorded the win in the circle after allowing just four runs in five innings.

Blinn jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning that it held onto for the remainder of the game. Zibelin drove in the first two runs with a double for Langston and Cedillo to score, while Lexi Harris walked the bases loaded for Garcia to score.

McLennan scored two runs in the second inning to gain on Blinn 3-2, but the Buccaneers earned two runs in the bottom half to pull ahead 5-2. Alvarez-Lopez scored Blinn’s first run in the inning on Langston’s double, while Cortemelia scored the next run on Zibelin’s single.

McLennan added one run in the third inning, while the Buccaneers added two in the bottom half after Kelsey Lowke and Alvarez-Lopez each hit one-run doubles.

McLennan tacked on one run in the fourth inning, but the Buccaneers answered back with 10 runs in the bottom half to take off with a 17-4 lead. Pisaro scored the first run on an error followed by a two-run single by Cedillo. Blinn added another run when Cortemelia hit a double, while Langston scored on a sacrifice fly. Harris kept things rolling with a two-run single, Mayela Fernandez scored next on an error and Harris scored the final run on Lowke’s single.

Torres pitched a scoreless inning in the fifth for the win.

Next, Blinn looks to remain undefeated in Region XIV play against San Jacinto College-South in a doubleheader on Friday, April 5, starting at 2 p.m.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 38 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.