BRENHAM, Texas – Blinn College baseball did all of its scoring in the first inning in the opening game but it was enough to come away with a 4-3 victory Thursday evening against San Jacinto College-North at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham.
That opening victory, coupled with a pair of losses by Wharton County Junior College, secured a Blinn playoff berth in the Region XIV Tournament that will begin next week. After securing its seventh consecutive victory in the opener, Blinn dropped the nightcap to San Jacinto 6-1 to split the pair.
With the split, Blinn moved its record to 16-20 in conference and 26-22 overall to secure the fourth seed out of the Region XIV South Zone.
Pitching made a huge impact for Blinn in the opening game as Kaylor Chafin started on the mound and went three innings but ran into trouble in the fourth inning. After seeing a four-run lead shrink to 4-3, Dakota Mills came on with no outs to retire the side and threw four scoreless innings to close out the victory.
Ben Upton had the bat going in the game with a double and a single while scoring a run and knocking in one as well. Jager Toffan delivered a big blow with a two-run home run in the first inning to supply the game-winning runs.
All of the scoring for Blinn came in the opening inning as Cullen Jozwiak started it with a double and then was brought in by an RBI double by Upton for the first run of the game. Upton later scored on an error for a 2-0 lead.
With Hunter Lehman at first, Toffan delivered a home run to right to give the Buccaneers a 4-0 advantage after an inning. That would be the final time Blinn touched the plate and San Jacinto brought in three runs in the fourth inning to get within 4-3. Mills came on in the fourth and finished out the game by only allowing one hit to close out the victory.
In the second game, Blinn again did all of its scoring in the first inning with a single run but it wasn't enough as San Jacinto earned the split with a 6-1 victory.
Upton delivered the lone RBI in the second game while Nathan Alexander had a quality start for the Buccaneers by pitching seven innings and only allowing one earned run while striking out two.
Blinn did have offense early on in the first inning when Jozwiak singled to begin and made it to third after a walk by Christian Thames and a passed ball. Upton drove in Jozwiak with a single through the right side for an early 1-0 lead.
The early lead wouldn't hold as San Jacinto took the lead with three runs in the fifth and only added more from there to secure the 6-1 victory.
Blinn will close out the regular season on the road Saturday, May 2 against San Jacinto for a double-header that begins at 1 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit: www.buccaneersports.com.
About Blinn College
Founded in 1883, Blinn is a comprehensive community college committed to educational excellence and to individual and community enhancement. With an enrollment of 19,317 students, Blinn ranks among the nation's leaders in transferring students to leading four-year universities and has received national recognition for its affordable educational excellence.
As part of its commitment to student success, Blinn is implementing a Quality Enhancement Plan titled "Destination Success: First-Year Focus," which utilizes learning communities to support first-year college students.
For enrollment information and to learn about financial aid opportunities, visit: www.blinn.edu.
