TEMPLE, Texas – Blinn College finished off the Temple College Tournament by coming away with a 7-3 victory over Butler Community College and a 9-7 win over Tyler Junior College Feb. 21 in Temple.
The Buccaneers finished the tournament with a glossy 4-1 record to improve the overall record to 14-8 now as the team starts to gain positive momentum.
Against Butler to open the day, Jaiden Rawls pitched a solid game in the circle going seven innings and only allowing three runs while she also nailed a solo home run. Mariah Gibson added a home run of her own and knocked in two runs in the win.
Butler actually was the first to score in the fourth inning with a single run but Blinn came right back in the same inning. Rawls helped out her own pitching effort by tying the game at 1-1 with a solo home run. Lara Cecchetti followed two batters later with an RBI single to center to score Katie Andrie, who singled after the Rawls homer, for a 2-1 lead.
Butler tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth but then the Buccaneers came back for their lead in the same inning. With two outs, Courtney White drew a walk and then was followed by a two-run home run by Gibson for a 4-2 lead. Rawls followed with a single and scored after a double by Andrie for a 5-2 lead. Cecchetti drove in the sixth run with a single to left to score Andrie to build a four-run lead.
Delilah Pacheco helped to add an insurance run with a single to begin the sixth and then later scored on an error for a 7-2 lead. Butler added a run in the seventh but Blinn held on for the 7-3 victory.
With the score all tied up at 4-4 against Tyler in the second game, Rawls delivered a huge grand slam for an 8-4 lead and then Blinn tacked on another to help the Buccaneers come away with a 9-7 victory.
Rawls drove in four runs while White drove in a pair to go with two singles and a double. Gibson picked up the win on the mound as only two of the seven runs scored were earned and she struck out six in the win.
Tyler grabbed a 2-0 lead after scoring single runs in the first and second innings but Blinn would come right back in the fifth. White tied the game up with a two-run double to center and then Alli Spivey, who singled earlier in the inning, was able to score on a wild pitch for a 3-2 lead. Gibson capped the scoring in the inning with an RBI single to left to score White for a 4-2 lead.
The lead wouldn't hold as Tyler scored a single run in the fifth and sixth innings to knot the game at 4-4.
The seventh inning is where the majority of the runs were scored as Blinn loaded the bases for Rawls and she emptied them with a grand slam for an 8-4 lead. Kayla Lahrmann brought in an additional run with an RBI single to center to score Meghann Wrinkle for a 9-4 lead. Tyler made it interesting in the final half of inning by scoring three runs but Blinn was able to hold for the 9-7 win.
Blinn will be back home Feb. 24 when it hosts Angelina College for a pair of games starting at 2 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 30 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
About Blinn College
Founded in 1883, Blinn is a comprehensive community college committed to educational excellence and to individual and community enhancement. With an enrollment of 19,317 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.
As part of its commitment to student success, Blinn is implementing a Quality Enhancement Plan titled "Destination Success: First-Year Focus," which utilizes learning communities to support first-year college students.
For enrollment information and to learn about financial aid opportunities, visit: www.blinn.edu.
