TEMPLE, Texas – Blinn College softball couldn't muster enough offense in two pitching duels as the Buccaneers fell by the score of 1-0 in both games of a doubleheader against Temple College on Friday afternoon in Temple.
With the pair of losses, the Buccaneers fall to 5-5 overall.
Temple 1 – Blinn 0
Although the Buccaneers outhit Temple 6-5, one run in the opening inning was all the offense Temple needed to begin the doubleheader with a 1-0 victory.
Meghan Morris took a tough loss in the pitching duel and dropped to 3-3 overall in the circle. Morris surrendered only one run on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts while throwing her fifth complete game this season.
Blinn's offense managed six hits off of Temple's winning pitcher Dalilah Barrera. Alivia Villarreal went 2-for-3 with a double and a single to lead the Buccaneers, while Amber Langston, Morgan Gray, Amy Alexander and Calli Birch all managed one hit apiece.
Temple's offense made the game's only impression on the scoreboard in the first inning. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Temple's Lenzi Stewart to score on a sacrifice fly.
Blinn attempted to answer back in the third inning after Birch, Langston and Gray strung together singles to load the bases, but they were all left stranded.
The Buccaneers looked to threaten again in the seventh inning as Villarreal and Alexander hit back-to-back singles to lead-off the inning, but the game ended with runners stranded on first and third.
Temple 1 – Blinn 0
All it took was one run in the first inning for Temple to defeat Blinn 1-0 in the second game of the doubleheader.
After a hard fought pitching duel in the circle, Kassidy Rhoudes took the loss after surrendering one run on six hits with five strikeouts in a complete game that included five shutout innings.
Blinn managed three hits off of Temple's Karina Sanchez who sealed the win in the circle. Langston, Georgina Gonzales and Courtney Ogle all managed one hit in the game.
Temple led off the first inning with a double followed by a one-run single in order to take a 1-0 lead that it would carry to victory.
Gonzales answered back in the second inning by leading off with a double, but was left stranded. In the third inning Langston singled and in the fifth inning Ogle singled, but were both left on base.
Blinn will be back in action against Odessa College in a doubleheader on Thursday, Feb. 22 starting at 1 p.m. on the road.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 36 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
