LUFKIN, Texas – Blinn College softball received a shutdown performance from Colleen Bentke in the circle and a pair of RBIs from Shelby Achille to earn a 6-0 victory over Kilgore College in the first round of the Region XIV tournament.

"It is always great to get that first win at regionals," said Rick Church, Blinn head coach. "Colleen Bentke kept the bases clean most of the game and got out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth."

With the win, the Buccaneers improve to 36-15 and move on next round to face the winner of Tyler Junior College and Galveston College on Sunday, May 7 at 3 p.m. in Lufkin.

Bentke was impressive in the circle by pitching all seven innings and allowing just four hits while striking out 10 to get the win.

Achille led the way with a home run and brought in two of the six runs. Kalli Edwards and Emily Noah each had a single and an RBI. Nicole Garcia, Gabriela Gomez and Morgan Gray each had a pair of singles in the win.

"We had great pitching and a composed defense today," Achille said. "We made adjustments at the plate and that helped us take care of business against Kilgore."

It took a couple of innings but Blinn was able to get going in the third when Gray started the inning with a single and then came in score on a RBI ground out by Edwards for a 1-0 lead. A hard-hit single to left by Noah gave the Buccaneers a 2-0 lead.

Gray was again the catalyst in the fourth inning with a one-out single and then she and Garcia scored on an error for a 4-0 advantage. Achille added the finishing touches on the scoring with a two-run home run to left for a 6-0 lead that would hold up until the final out.

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.