LAREDO, Texas – Blinn College baseball needed a week like this as the Buccaneers were able to complete a perfect 4-0 week after a doubleheader sweep of Laredo Community College by the scores of 6-1 and 16-3 Saturday afternoon.
"This was a great sweep for us on the road," said Harvey McIntyre, Blinn head coach. "This was a Grand Junction-type effort for our club this weekend."
With the victories, Blinn improves to 17-13 overall and 9-6 in Region XIV play.
Blinn 6 – Laredo 1
Angel De La Fuente lacked only a triple to hit for the cycle of the opening game as he knocked in three runs to help Blinn beat Laredo 6-1.
De La Fuente blasted a home run, a double and a single to bring in three of the six Blinn runs. Colton Parrish brought in a pair of runs with two singles while Johnny Rizer brought in a run with a single. Jay Anderson had a pair of singles and scored twice in the win. With the RBI in this game, that makes four consecutive games with an RBI for Rizer.
Cody Moos picked up the win on the mound to improve to 1-1 on the year by pitching six innings and allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out five. Cody Collins came on in the seven to pitch a scoreless inning to finish off the win.
Blinn was able to strike first in the third inning when Anderson started the inning with a single and came around to score following an RBI single by Parrish to right for a 1-0 lead. De La Fuente helped to double the lead in the fifth with a solo home run to left for a 2-0 advantage. Laredo scored one in the bottom of the fifth to get within 2-1.
The Buccaneers added some padding to the lead in the seventh inning as Tyler Fowler started the inning with a walk and was brought in by another RBI single by Parrish to right for a 3-1 lead. De La Fuente brought in a pair by lining a single to left for a 5-1 edge then Rizer followed two batters later with an RBI single to left for a 6-1 lead that would hold up until the final out of the first game.
Blinn 16 – Laredo 3
The bats came alive in the nightcap of the doubleheader as the Buccaneers pounded out 14 hits on their way to a 16-3 victory over Laredo in five innings.
There were plenty of RBIs to go around for Blinn as Trent Murphy brought in three runs with a home run to lead the way. Anderson, Sam McElreath, Rizer and Marshall Skinner each brought in a pair of runs. De La Fuente also had an RBI in the win. Parrish and Fowler both had a pair of singles in the win. Rizer was able to extend his streak of consecutive games with an RBI to five in the nightcap of the doubleheader.
Cody Van Cleave picked up the win to improve to 5-1 on the season by pitching four scoreless innings and allowing just two hits and striking out one.
Blinn was able to get on the scoreboard in the first inning as Anthony Jones was hit by a pitch to reach base and then was able to score on a McElreath RBI single for the first run. Rizer made the score 2-0 with an RBI single to center.
The Buccaneers poured on the runs in the second inning as Murphy started the inning with a walk and was able to score on an error for a 3-0 lead. Anderson followed that with a two-run home run to right for a 5-0 lead. Rizer capped the scoring in the inning with a two-run single to left for a 7-0 advantage.
Murphy was again able to start the scoring in the third inning as he reached on a dropped third strike and then scored on a wild pitch for an 8-0 lead. De La Fuente brought in the ninth run with a bases loaded walk and then McElreath followed with a sacrifice fly to left for a 10-0 lead. Skinner was able to bring in a pair with a single to left for a commanding 12-0 lead.
Blinn was able to add an additional run in the fourth when Fowler walked to start the inning and then scored on a ground out for a 13-0 lead. Murphy put the finishing touches on the Blinn scoring in the fifth as he belted a three-run home run to left for a 16-0 lead. Laredo scored three in the bottom of the fifth but it wasn't enough to avoid the run rule after the inning.
Blinn will be back home on Monday, March 27 against No. 3 McLennan Community College at 4 p.m. at Leroy Dreyer Field.
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.
