BRENHAM, Texas – Blinn College baseball was able to get just enough offense to squeeze out a pair of one-run victories over Temple College by the score of 9-8 in the first game and a 7-6 victory in the nightcap Monday evening at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham.
The pair of victories for the Buccaneers gives them a four-game winning streak and improves the overall record to 9-6 and the Region XIV record remains at 2-2.
"I was really proud of our offense," said Blinn coach Harvey McIntyre. "We swung it real well in game one and we were able to come back and win game two."
Blinn 9 – Temple 8
Blinn had plenty of offense in the opening game as the Buccaneers jumped out to a 9-2 lead after six innings. Temple would fight back but Blinn was able hold off the Temple charge for the 9-8 victory.
Angel De La Fuente supplied a big chunk of the offense with one swing and a grand slam for four RBIs. Sam McElreath brought in three runs with a two-run double and a bases loaded walk while Elijah MacNamee proved to be a tough out by going 4 for 4 hitting all singles and scoring twice in the win.
"The last few weeks I have been having trouble putting the barrel on the ball," De La Fuente said. "I knew the team needed some runs so I just relaxed with two strikes and hit it well."
Justin Penney had a solid start on the mound by pitching 4 2-3 innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits and seven strikeouts. When the Buccaneers got into a little trouble in the seventh, Cody LeCompte came on with a runner on third with no outs and retired three of the four batters faced for the improbable save.
"Coach really emphasized the importance of these two games coming off two wins at Galveston," Penney said. "I made some bad pitches at times but was able to made good pitches when I needed to get out of jams."
Blinn got to scoring right away when Walker Winders and MacNamee singled to get on and two batters later McElreath doubled to bring in a pair for the first runs of the game. Austen Swift later scored on a passed ball to give the Buccaneers a 3-0 lead after one.
The long ball helped Blinn add to its lead in the third when MacNamee and Swift singled then McElreath reached on an error to load the bases. De La Fuente cleared the bases with a grand slam to left in his first home run of the season for a 7-0 advantage. Temple got on the scoreboard in the fourth with a single run to get within 7-1 of Blinn.
Winders helped to get that run back with a solo home run to center for an 8-1 lead. Temple countered with another single run in the fifth to make the score 8-2. Blinn loaded the bases in the sixth looking for much-needed insurance runs.
Jay Anderson and MacNamee singled and Swift was hit by a pitch to load the bases. McElreath used his patience to draw a bases-loaded walk to make the score 9-2 heading into the seventh inning. The Buccaneers needed every last run as Temple scored six in the seventh inning but LeCompte was able to come in and close the door for the save in a tight situation.
Blinn 7 – Temple 6
Blinn was able to come from behind after trailing 6-3 in the middle of the third to beat Temple 7-6 to sweep the double-header in the nightcap.
Swift was able to knock a home run and a single while bringing in two runs. Hillin Warren was hard for Temple to get out with two singles, two walks and two runs batted in and a run scored in the win.
Montana Ellstrom came on in the sixth inning and pitched two scoreless innings to earn the victory while striking out three.
Temple came out in the second game and put two on the scoreboard in the first inning for an early lead. Blinn countered in the bottom of the first when MacNamee kept the inning alive by reaching first on a dropped third strike and then later scored on an RBI single by Warren to get within 2-1 of Temple.
Swift helped the Buccaneers take the lead in the second inning with a two-run home run to right-center to score Daniel Anciso, who walked to get on base, for a 3-2 lead. That lead was short-lived as Temple scored four in the third to take a 6-3 advantage. Warren helped to get one run back when he reached base on a walk and later scored on an error in the third to get within 6-4.
Weston Brown helped to get the fifth inning started right for the Buccaneers with a lead-off double and then he later came around to score on a Temple error to get within one run. Warren later tied the game at 6-6 with a bases-loaded walk.
Blinn loaded the bases again in the sixth as Brown and Colton Parrish walked and Winders was hit by a pitch. MacNamee used his patience to draw a bases-loaded walk to give the Buccaneers a 7-6 lead that would end up being the final score.
Blinn will get back into conference play when it travels to face Alvin Community College on Thursday, March 3 for a double-header beginning at 12 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
With an enrollment of 19,422 students, Blinn ranks among the nation's leaders in transferring students to leading four-year universities and has received national recognition for affordable educational excellence. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
