Despite a two-run ninth inning, the Blinn baseball team couldn't overcome a six-run deficit against Frank Phillips College Saturday.

Frank Phillips held off the Buccaneers with a 14-10 victory to avoid a sweep at Leroy Dreyer Field. Blinn won Friday's opening day doubleheader 8-4 and 3-0.

"The most important thing we learned today is that we can swing the bat," Blinn (2-1) coach Harvey McIntyre said. "We were down 11-5 at one point and we kept swinging the bats and gave ourselves a chance."

Down 14-8 in the bottom of the ninth, sophomore Cullen Gassaway took a 2-2 pitch to left field to score Nolan Brown and Caden Williams. But Blinn's rally would end there as Frank Phillips' Trevor Rowlett got Jacob Sarabia to ground out to end the game.

It was a shootout nearly the entire game as Blinn took a 3-0 lead after two innings that included a Brown home run to left field. Brown finished the game 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Frank Phillips quickly responded by plating runs the next four innings to take an 11-7 lead heading into the seventh inning.

Blinn pulled it to a three-run game when Connor Smith hit an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh, but Frank Phillips once again responded with a three-run eighth.

"Connor Smith has a chance to be someone special," McIntyre said. "He's part of our 1-6 guys in our lineup, and none of those guys are easy outs."

Smith finished the game 4-for-5 with two RBI, and Gassaway, Blinn's power first baseman, went 3-for-5 on the day with four RBI and two runs scored.

Freshman Christian Thames took the loss on the mound. Thames, who relieved starting pitcher Cole Doherty, gave up four earned runs in four innings while striking out and walking two batters.

"Pitching-wise we're going to have to improve from today," McIntyre said. "For a lot of our guys today it was their first time out. But, you know, these guys are a resilient group and they want to get better, and they will."