BRENHAM, Texas – Blinn College softball received a solid pitching performance from Colleen Bentke to keep Laredo Community College scoreless to win its conference opener 2-0 Friday afternoon at Hohlt Park.
The Buccaneers scored the same amount of runs in the second game but Laredo upped its offensive output to earn the 5-2 victory in the closing game of the doubleheader. With the split, Blinn's overall record moves to 15-11 and its Region XIV record starts out at 1-1.
Blinn 2 – Laredo 0
Blinn used a solid pitching performance from Bentke and just enough run support to win its conference opener 2-0 over Laredo.
Bentke pitched all seven scoreless innings and only allowed three hits and struck out two in the victory.
Shelby Achille and Katy Sawyer supplied the run support as Achille had an RBI double in the fifth and then Sawyer followed with an RBI single. Nicole Garcia had a pair of singles and scored one of the two runs in the win.
Blinn had plenty of scoring opportunities in the first four innings but couldn't cash in until the fifth. Garcia started the fifth with a one-out single and then came in to score on a double by Achille to right for the first run. Sawyer followed by lining a single to left to bring in the second run for a 2-0 lead. That would be all the runs that Bentke would need in the circle to seal the victory.
Laredo 5 – Blinn 2
Blinn scored the same amount of runs in the second half of the doubleheader but it wasn't enough as Laredo scored three in the fourth to take the lead for good and win 5-2.
Sawyer had a pair of singles and an RBI while Achille brought in a run on a sacrifice fly in the third. Kalli Edwards had a pair of singles and reached base all four times in the loss.
Blinn did start fast in the opening inning as Edwards reached with a single with one out and then came in to score on an RBI single up the middle by Sawyer for a 1-0 lead. The Buccaneers stretched their lead in the third when Garcia reached on a walk to start the inning and Achille eventually brought her in with a sacrifice fly to left for a 2-0 lead.
Blinn's 2-0 lead evaporated when Laredo scored three in the fourth and added single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 5-2 lead. The Buccaneers got runners on second and third in the bottom of the seventh but couldn't push across a run in the three-run loss.
Blinn will next host a non-conference doubleheader against Lake Land College on Tuesday, March 7 starting at 2 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.
