TEMPLE, Texas – The Blinn softball team was on the verge of getting swept for the first time this season. That is until a Marissa Purcell single sparked a seven-run Buccaneer rally.
Blinn rallied from a 7-5 deficit and beat Paris Junior College 12-7 in its final game of the Temple Tournament here Saturday. The Bucs lost Saturday's opener 9-7 to Crowder (Mo.) College.
Blinn finished the Temple Tournament 4-1, including wins over third-ranked Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, sixth-ranked Butler and 15th-ranked McLennan on Friday.
Down 7-5 in the top of the seventh against Paris, Purcell's single scored Allison Artz. After Allie Piro grounded out, Alli Spivey singled to center and the Bucs (13-4) offense responded with five consecutive hits to pull ahead of the Lady Dragons.
Freshman pitcher Jaiden Rawls quickly closed out the game in the bottom half of the inning. After giving up a leadoff single, Rawls induced three straight groundouts. She tossed a complete game, allowed 10 hits, seven runs—three earned—and struck out five.
Freshman Delilah Pacheco was 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Sophomores Peyton Webb and Sydney Wellmann each had two hits, including a two-run home run by Webb in the fourth.
Blinn started out strong against Crowder with a seven-run second inning, but a six-run rally in the sixth inning gave Crowder the final advantage.
Webb and Piro had two hits, and Wellmann knocked in three runs.
Mariah Gibson was tagged with the loss after six innings of work. She gave up 11 hits, nine runs, struck out four and walked three.
