LUFKIN, Texas – It is better to have the offense show up late than never show up at all as Blinn College softball trailed 3-1 heading to the bottom of the eighth but crawled back into the game and got a game-winning single by Delilah Pacheco in a 4-3 victory over Paris Junior College Saturday evening in Lufkin.
The late offense couldn't have come at a better time as Blinn was able to advance out of the first round of the Region XIV Tournament hosted by Angelina College. The Buccaneers will next play Angelina Sunday, May 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the second round as the Blinn record now improves to 40-13.
Pacheco hit two singles in the game but the biggest came in the eighth inning while Kayla Lahrmann also hit a double and a single to lead the offense. Jaiden Rawls hit a solo home run in the eighth to help the comeback while Alli Spivey and Seeley Orsak each had an RBI.
Mariah Gibson got the start for Blinn and although Paris scored three runs, none of them were earned against Gibson.
Scoring was hard to come by for both teams but Paris was able to strike first with a run in the third. Blinn came right back in the bottom half when Lahrmann hit a one-out double and then made her way to third on an error. Spivey was able to hit Lahrmann in with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1. That would be all the scoring until Paris put two runs on the board in the eighth inning to build a 3-1 lead.
With its back against the wall, Blinn was able to come up big and it started with a solo home run by Rawls to get within 3-2 with one out. Katie Andrie followed with a walk and Meghann Wrinkle came in to run for her and eventually scored on an error to tie the game at 3-3.
With the pressure on, Pacheco came through with the game-winning single to center to score Avery Mullendore for a 4-3 victory.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 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 its 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.
