BRENHAM, Texas – Blinn College baseball took control of its playoff destiny by sweeping Laredo Community College Friday evening at Leroy Dreyer Field by the scores of 13-3 and 5-3 and secured a spot in the Region XIV playoffs.
"I thought we did well on the mound all day and that is great to see heading into the tournament," said Harvey McIntyre, Blinn head coach. "We still have a chance tomorrow to head into regionals with a four-game win streak."
The Buccaneers improve to 27-24 overall and 17-16 in Region XIV play.
Blinn 13 – Laredo 3
Blinn jumped out early and finished strong to beat Laredo 13-3 in six innings to open the doubleheader.
Sam McElreath put together an impressive game with a double and two singles to bring in four runs. Angel De La Fuente nailed a two-run home run and brought in three total runs in the win. Colton Parrish brought in a pair of runs while Anthony Jones and Johnny Rizer each had an RBI.
Evan Mata pitched a six inning complete game for the Buccaneers and gave up three earned runs on nine hits while striking out a pair in the win.
Jay Anderson was able to start the first inning with a single and then later came in to score on a ground out for the first run. Rizer made it 2-0 with a slicing single through the left side of the infield and then De La Feunte blasted a two-run home run to left for a 4-0 lead.
After being held scoreless for a few innings, the Buccaneers got back to work in the fourth. Trent Murphy started the inning with a single and then scored after Jones was hit by a pitch for a 5-0 lead. Parrish brought in the sixth run with a bases-loaded walk.
McElreath kept the inning going with a double blooped to left for two runs to give Binn an 8-0 lead. Parrish scored on a passed ball for the ninth run and then McElreath capped the scoring after scoring on an error for a 10-0 Buccaneer lead. Laredo did avoid the run rule in the fifth with three runs to get within 10-3.
Blinn was able to get a couple runs back in the bottom of the fifth when Anderson started the inning with a walk and Jones followed with a single. Both Anderson and Jones scored on a towering double hit by McElreath to the wall in center for a 12-3 lead.
The Buccaneers looked to end the game early in the sixth and Tyler Fowler was able to start the inning when he was hit by a pitch. Fowler later scored on an RBI single by Parrish to the right side to make the score 13-3 and end the game early.
Blinn 5 – Laredo 3
The second game was much closer as Blinn trailed by one run in the second inning but was able to battle back and claim a 5-3 victory to sweep Laredo and clinch a playoff spot.
Anderson blasted a home run to start the offense for Blinn and added two more singles in a 3-for-4 game. McElreath and De La Fuente each hit a single and brought in a run while Tyler Fowler blasted a solo home run in the victory.
Zach Smith picked up the win on the mound by pitching 6 2-3 innings and allowing three earned runs on eight hits while striking out three. Kyle Gray came on to get the final seven outs and only allowed one hit while striking out five to seal the victory.
Anderson was able to get Blinn off to a great start as he led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to right for a 1-0 lead. Laredo would battle back with two runs in the second inning to take a 2-1 lead.
Johnny Rizer was able to help the Buccaneers tie the game in the third inning when he reached base after being hit by a pitch and then scored on a wild pitch to knot the game at 2-2.
Blinn went after the lead in the sixth inning as McElreath hit the go-ahead single through the right side of the infield for a 3-2 edge. De La Fuente padded the lead with a single to left for a 4-2 lead. Laredo did get within one at 4-3 with a single run in the seventh but that would be the final time Laredo would touch the plate for the rest of the game.
Fowler took it upon himself to add an insurance run with a solo home run to right to give the Buccaneers a 5-3 lead that would hold up until the final out.
Blinn will close out the regular season on Saturday, May 6 with a doubleheader against Laredo beginning at noon at Leroy Dreyer Field.
Prior to the doubleheader with Laredo on Saturday, the Blinn College athletic department will present a check to Adam's Angels Ministry.
Adam's Angels Ministry is called to provide care and comfort for families that are in a battle against childhood cancer. The fundraising effort is part of Blinn's annual Adopt-a-Charity program in which all Blinn athletic programs dedicate a portion of their gate proceeds towards a charity. For more information on Adam's Angels Ministry, visit www.adamsangelsministry.org.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 36 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.
