With a pair of 5-2 victories Friday, the Blinn baseball team began the second half of Region XIV Conference just the way coach Harvey McIntyre hoped for. 
Heading into Saturday's play, the Buccaneers are in prime position to pick up a conference series win and potentially a sweep against the Wharton Pioneers at 2 p.m. in Wharton.
Nolan Brown rocketed a two-run double in center field in the bottom of the fourth of Game 1, which allowed Blinn to pull ahead 5-2.
Brown was 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in the game.
The Bucs (21-14, 14-8) quickly responded after Wharton made it a 1-0 contest in the top of the first off a wild pitch from starting pitcher Robbie Dickey. Freshman Jose Reyes singled to leftfield and scored on the next at-bat when Stephen Stuart reached on a Pioneer error. With the bases loaded, Jager Toffan knocked a single to center to score Stuart.
"I thought our pitching and defense were phenomenal today," McIntyre said. "Our offense is still a couple ticks behind, and we're getting some traffic on the bases, but we have to start knocking some balls through."
Despite throwing two wild pitches in the first, Dickey regained his control and tossed a five-hit complete game to pick up his fifth win of the season. Entering the game, Dickey had tossed 40 innings and carried a 2.25 ERA—in that span he's averaging 12.6 strikeouts per game.
"Robbie really had to pitch today," McIntyre said. "He got himself in some situations early, but he found a way to get out without his best stuff. He's a special kid on the mound, no doubt."
Dickey limited the damage in the top of the second after Blinn had taken a 2-1 lead. With the bases loaded and two outs, Dickey got a strikeout to end the inning.
The sophomore right-hander was able to overpower the Pioneers with his fastball—which reached speeds up to 94 mph—and on a few occasions mix in a curveball to catch a batter sitting on the heat.
Dickey struck out eight and walked two. His only other mishap in the game was allowing a solo shot in the top of the fifth, but by that point the Bucs held a 5-2 lead.
Blinn didn't spot Wharton a run in Game 2.
Following a Reyes walk, Stuart doubled him home on a fly ball to leftfield.
Wharton scored a run off starting pitcher Caden Williams in the top of the second, yet a Brown single broke the tie in the bottom half of the frame.
Williams tossed 4 2-3 innings, allowing six hits and two runs—one earned. Freshman Christian Thames tossed four innings of relief and allowed one hit, struck out three and walked four.
Blinn had to wait out an hour-plus rain delay late in the game. Once play resumed, the Bucs quickly pulled away in the seventh and eighth innings with runs by Reyes and Hunter Lehman to pull away.
"To start the second half of conference 2-0 is a great feeling, but we still have to take care of business Saturday to get a series win," McIntyre said.
