BRENHAM, Texas – Blinn College baseball didn't score on all of its scoring opportunities but the Buccaneers took advantage of six RBIs by Johnny Rizer to earn a 10-5 victory over Angelina College Tuesday afternoon at Leroy Dreyer Field.
"It is a good thing when you score 10 runs and still feel like you left some opportunities out there," said Harvey McIntyre, Blinn head coach. "We are hitting a stretch in the schedule where we need to make a run."
Blinn improved its overall record to 14-13 with the non-conference victory. The Buccaneers are 6-6 in Region XIV with a road trip to Laredo coming up this weekend.
Rizer started his day with a three-run home run then added a single and a triple to bring in a total of six runs in the victory. Jay Anderson had the other RBI while Anthony Jones had a pair of doubles and Marshall Skinner added a double in the win.
"I felt pretty locked in and focused at the plate today," Rizer said. "I felt like those hits changed the momentum of the game and helped out the whole team."
Cody Van Cleave pitched the first three innings and picked up the win by allowing just one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts. Brandon Symmank pitched two scoreless innings while Garrett Alexander, Will Floyd and Cody Collins all tossed a scoreless inning.
Blinn struck first in the second inning when Angel De La Fuente walked and Sam McElreath singled. Rizer brought in both with a towering home run to right for a 3-0 lead. Anderson hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Trent Murphy for a 4-0 lead after two innings. Angelina scored one run in the third to get within 4-1.
Rizer was back at it in the fifth inning as Jones doubled to begin the inning and then Rizer later nailed a hard-hit single to the left side of the infield for a 5-1 lead. Blinn kept the scoring going in the sixth when Skinner led off with a double then later scored on a passed ball for a 6-1 lead. Angelina got back into the game with four runs in the seventh to get within 6-5.
Blinn was able to hold Angelina scoreless the rest of the way and padded its lead in the bottom of the seventh. De La Fuente and Rizer each walked and then came in to score on an error to give the Buccaneers an 8-5 lead.
Rizer put the finishing touches on his day with a two-run triple to score Jones, who doubled to lead off the inning. The triple by Rizer gave the Buccaneers a 10-5 lead that would hold until the final out.
Blinn will open up a series with Laredo Community College on the road with a single game on Friday, March 24 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.
