Coastal Bend rallies past No. 12 Blinn for Region XIV South win

The 12th-ranked Blinn College baseball team fell to Coastal Bend College 8-7 on the road in Region XIV South Zone action Thursday in Beeville, Texas.

The setback dropped the Buccaneers to 34-13 overall and 21-9 in the South.

Blinn opened the scoring with a three-run first inning, made possible by an RBI fielder's choice for sophomore Ian Collier, an RBI single from freshman Coy DeFury, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore Tate bethel.

The Cougars got one back in the home half of the frame and tied the game with two in the third.

With the bases loaded in the fourth, Collier pushed the Bucs' ahead 6-3 with a bases clearing double. Collier tacked on his fifth RBI of the day when he singled in freshman Brandon Bishop in the sixth.

Coastal Bend started its rally with three runs in the bottom of the sixth and took the lead for good with a pair of tallies in the seventh.

The Bucs totaled five hits and nine walks. Collier finished with two hits.

Freshman relief pitcher Hunter Bond took the loss for Blinn after allowing five runs (earned) in two innings of work. He allowed five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Freshman Shane Connell started for the Bucs and settled for the no-decision. He allowed three earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks.

Up next, the Bucs and Cougars end their season series with a doubleheader scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 43 NJCAA national championships since 1987.