BRENHAM, Texas – After earning only one hit in the opening game, Blinn College baseball turned the offense around in the second game with 10 hits and 10 runs for a 10-1 victory over Wharton County Junior College Friday evening at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham.
It took a while for the offense to get off the ground as the Buccaneers could only get one hit in the opening game and fell 5-0 to Wharton to split the pair. With the split, Blinn's overall record moves to 20-24 and 10-20 in the Region XIV South Zone standings.
Wharton 5 – Blinn 0
Blinn could only muster one hit but did get runners in scoring position in three separate innings but it wasn't enough as Wharton capitalized for a 5-0 victory to open the doubleheader.
Nick Masarik pitched a solid game on the mound in going five innings and giving up five earned runs on 12 hits and one strikeout in the loss. Tyler Woodmansee came on in the sixth and pitched a scoreless and hitless inning.
Patrick King picked up the lone hit with a double in the fifth inning. Wharton scored three runs in the opening inning and two runs in the sixth to earn the win.
Blinn 10 – Wharton 1
Blinn must have saved all of its runs for the second game as the offense came alive in the nightcap to earn a 10-1 mercy rule victory to earn the split.
Hillin Warren came on in the second game and went 3 for 4 with three singles and two runs batted in. Trent Murphy also knocked in three runs with a two-run home run, his 11th home run of the season, and a single. Elijah MacNamee, Angel De La Fuente, George Pappas and Sam McElreath each knocked in a run in the win.
Dillon Turney pitched an excellent game on the mound by going six innings and giving up one earned run on three hits while striking out nine and improving his win-loss record to 2-4. Weston Brown came on in the seventh to pitch a scoreless inning while striking two of three batters faced.
Wharton struck first with its lone run in the top of the third but Blinn would charge right back. King started off the bottom half with a single and then came around to tie the game at 1-1 after an RBI single by Warren dumped into center. Murphy gave Blinn the lead with a single down the third base line to make the score 2-1.
McElreath brought in the third run with a fielder's choice and then Pappas ripped an RBI single through the left side of the infield to give a 4-1 lead.
The runs kept on coming for Blinn in the fourth inning when King again started off an inning with a single and then came in to score after a ground out by MacNamee for a 5-1 lead. De La Fuente dropped in an RBI single to center for the sixth run and then Murphy delivered a two-run home run to left for an 8-1 lead.
Blinn added a couple more runs in the fifth when Pappas, Walker Winders and King loaded the bases with walks. Warren brought in two runs with a single to center to give Blinn a 10-1 lead that would hold up as the final score.
Blinn will continue the series against Wharton on the road Saturday, April 23 with a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 34 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.
