LONGVIEW, Texas – Blinn College softball got off to a rough start in the Region XIV Round Robin tournament by losing 12-4 to Angelina College and falling 9-8 to Kilgore College Friday in Longview.
The pair of losses drops the overall record for the Buccaneers to 12-11.
Angelina 12 – Blinn 4
Blinn had a hard time keeping up with the Angelina offense as the Buccaneers trailed 8-0 after three innings and were unable to recover in the 12-4 loss.
Jordin Wilkins knocked in three of the four Blinn runs with a home run while Katie Andrie led the Buccaneers with two singles. Nicole Garcia, Cheyenne Trader and Kalli Edwards each had a single in the loss.
Angelina jumped on Blinn with three runs in the second and five in the third to take an 8-0 lead after three innings. The Buccaneers were able to get on the board in the fourth when Courtney White reached on an error and then scored following a single by Trader to get within 8-1. Angelina got the lead back to eight with a single run in the fifth to take a 9-1 lead.
Blinn tried getting back into the game in the bottom of the fifth when Garcia walked and Andrie singled and then Wilkins cleared the bases with a home run to center to get within 9-4. That would be the final time Blinn would touch the plate as Angelina added three more runs to win the game by eight runs.
Kilgore 9 – Blinn 8
Blinn was able to outhit Kilgore 11-10 but it was Kilgore that was able to break a tie game with a single run in the sixth to beat the Buccaneers 9-8.
Trader had a big game offensively with a home run and a double to bring in three runs. Katy Sawyer also had a home run and a double and brought in two runs. White also brought in a run with a single while Wilkins added a double in the loss.
Kilgore scored a single run in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead but it didn't last long. Garcia started the bottom of the first with a single and then tied the game after scoring on an error. Meghann Wrinkle, who singled to get on base, touched the plate to give Blinn a 2-1 lead after an error. White singled to left to bring in a run for a 3-1 lead after the first inning. Kilgore tied the game up with two runs in the third to make the score 3-3.
Back to back doubles by Sawyer and Trader combined to bring in three runs to give Blinn a 6-3 lead in the third inning. Kilgore exploded for five runs in the fourth inning to take an 8-6 lead.
Sawyer and Trader struck again in the fifth with back-to-back solo home runs to tie the game up at 8-8. Unfortunately, it was Kilgore that broke open the tie game with a single run in the sixth that wound up being the game-winner.
Blinn will look to bounce back in the same tournament with a pair of games Saturday, Feb 27 that begins with Bossier Parish Community College at 1 p.m.
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
With an enrollment of 19,422 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. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
