BRENHAM, Texas — Behind a solid pitching performance by Jace Hutchings, the Blinn College baseball team defeated Galveston College, 4-1, to open a doubleheader on Saturday at Leroy Dreyer Field.
The Whitecaps bounced back in the second game of the doubleheader to defeat Blinn 4-2.
"We couldn't have asked any more from Jace in Game 1," head coach Harvey McIntyre said. "He was phenomenal in a complete-game win which we really needed to have. Trevor Mott was outstanding as well with six plus innings, while Jake Olson and Eric Oakes were outstanding in the backend."
With the split, the Buccaneers now hold a 14-12 overall record and 9-9 conference record.
"I thought we played extremely well for 15 of the 16 innings today, but we gave them some help in the eighth and they took advantage of it," McIntyre said.
Blinn 4 – Galveston 1
The Buccaneers opened the doubleheader against Galveston with a 4-1 win.
Hutchins was phenomenal on the mound, striking out seven for the win. He only surrendered one run on three hits in seven innings.
Ben Hovda helped lead Blinn's offense with two RBIs, while Brandon Williams and Caleb Schulz each drove in one run. Westley Schields went 2-for-2 and led Blinn with two runs, while Preston Hoffart and Tyler Russell each scored one.
Galveston scored its lone run in the top of the first inning. Blinn answered back in the bottom half of the inning with three runs as Hovda hit a two-run single and Williams hit a one-run single.
Blinn scored its final run in the sixth inning when Shields scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Schulz.
Galveston 4 – Blinn 2
Galveston bounced back with a 4-2 win over Blinn to conclude the day.
On the mound, Mott recorded eight strikeouts and didn't allow a hit in 5 2/3 innings. Olson didn't allow an earned run and only surrendered one hit in two innings, while Oakes only allowed one run and one hit in 1 1/3 innings.
Schields and Russell recorded one RBI each, while Garrison Weiss went 2-for-2 and scored two runs to lead Blinn's offense.
Russell hit a one-run double in the first inning to give Blinn an early lead.
After five scoreless innings, the Buccaneers extended their lead to 2-0 when Weiss scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Schields.
Galveston rallied for four runs in the eighth inning to gain a 4-2 lead for good.
Next, the Buccaneers will open a four-game conference series against No. 4 San Jacinto College-North on Tuesday, April 13, at 6 p.m. on the road.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
