WHARTON, Texas – Blinn College baseball was able to recover after falling behind 5-3 to come back and beat Wharton County Junior College 7-5 in the opening game of a doubleheader to earn the series win Sunday afternoon in Wharton.

Wharton did edge the Buccaneers in the nightcap 11-8 to split the doubleheader but Blinn was able to win three of four during the weekend to improve to 14-10 overall and 6-6 in Region XIV play.

Blinn 7 – Wharton 5

Blinn trailed 5-3 after two innings in Wharton but the Buccaneers were able to fight back and earn the 7-5 victory to open the doubleheader and win the weekend series.

Blinn blasted four home runs in the win led by Elijah MacNamee with a home run, double and a single with three runs batted in and only needed a triple for the cycle. Jay Anderson hit a solo home run and a single while Trent Murphy and Angel De La Fuente each hit a home run in the run.

Justin Penney was able to recover from a bumpy start to go five innings allowing five runs while striking out six in the victory on the mound. Beau O'Hara came in the game in the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings to earn the save.

Blinn got started in the first inning when Anderson led off with a single and then trotted home after a home run by MacNamee for a 2-0 lead. The lead was short-lived as Wharton countered with four in the bottom of the first for a 4-2 advantage.

Murphy helped to get Blinn within a run with a solo home run to left to make the score 4-3 in the top of the second. Again Wharton countered with a single run in the bottom half to increase its lead to 5-3.

The rest of the game belonged to Blinn as Penney and O'Hara stopped Wharton from touching the plate again for the rest of the game and the offense helped with a comeback victory. Anderson belted a solo home run in the fifth to left to get the Buccaneers with 5-4.

Blinn went for the lead in the sixth when Austen Swift started the inning with a double and then trotted around the bases after a two-run home run by De La Fuente for a 6-5 lead. The Buccaneers went after an insurance run in the seventh when Anderson walked and MacNamee brought him in with a double to right for a 7-5 lead that would hold up for the final score.

Wharton 11 – Blinn 8

Blinn had a chance for the four-game sweep of Wharton as the Buccaneers led 7-5 in the eighth inning but Wharton warded off the sweep with a late rally for an 11-8 victory in the nightcap.

Wharton struck first with a single run in the first inning but Blinn would counter in the third. Walker Winders started the inning with a single and was knocked in with a double by Anderson to center to knot the game at 1-1. Anderson later scored on an error for a 2-1 Blinn advantage. Wharton scored two runs in the bottom of the third to regain a 3-2 lead.

Murphy helped to tie the game up again with a solo home run in the fourth to left to make the score 3-3 and then Colton Parrish followed with a solo home run of his own in the fifth inning to left for a 4-3 lead. Wharton countered with a single run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 4-4.

The back and forth game continued when Swift nailed a solo home run in the sixth to retake the lead at 5-4. Wharton countered with a single run in the bottom half to knot the game up at 5-5.

Blinn looked to take the lead for good in the seventh with Anderson started it with a single and was brought in by a single through the infield by Sam McElreath for a 6-5 lead. Parrish added his second home run of the game in the eighth for a 7-5 Blinn advantage. Wharton took control of the game with four runs in the eighth to take an 11-7 lead. MacNamee hit a solo home run in the ninth but that would be the final run scored by Blinn in the 11-8 loss.

Blinn will be back home on Wednesday, March 16 against South Suburban College for a game at 5 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.