BRENHAM, Texas — Blinn College softball (11-8) won the first game of its home opener Saturday at Hohlt Park by utilizing a complete game shutout by sophomore pitcher Meghan Morris to defeat Odessa College, 6-0.
Despite tallying 13 hits, the Buccaneers lost the second game of the doubleheader, 13-5.
"Meghan did really well in the first game of our home opener and we couldn't have asked for more from her," said Rick Church, Blinn head coach. "It was great to get that first win, but I was disappointed in how we finished our second game of the doubleheader."
Blinn 6 – Odessa 0
The Buccaneers opened the doubleheader against Odessa with a 6-0 win.
Morris was strong in the circle for the win, surrendering just five hits, while striking out seven.
"It's nice to be back on our home turf and makes us want to compete even more," Morris said. "I threw all of my pitches today which led to a successful outing and the offense helped take some of the pressure off by scoring six runs."
Sarah Cedillo and Bailey Zibelin led Blinn's offense by driving in two runs apiece, while Tori Alvarez-Lopez recorded one RBI.
Blinn scored three runs in the first inning and three runs in the fourth inning.
Zibelin drove in the first two runs with a triple that allowed Amber Langston and Courtney Ogle to score. Anna Pisaro followed with a double to score Zibelin for Blinn to lead 3-0.
In the fourth inning, Alvarez-Lopez used a single for Kristin Kaiser to score, while Cedillo followed with a two-run triple. Kelsey Lowke and Alvarez-Lopez scored Blinn's final two runs for the 6-0 final.
Odessa 13 – Blinn 5
Although the Buccaneers tallied 13 hits, they fell to Odessa in the second game of the doubleheader, 13-5.
Langston led the offense, going 2-for-4, while driving in two runs and scoring two runs. Alvarez-Lopez, Ogle, Mackenzi Crews, Julissa Llanos and Lexi Harris also recorded two hits in the game.
A two-run homer off the bat of Langston allowed Blinn to take the lead in the first inning. However, Odessa answered back with six runs in the top of the second inning to take a 6-2 lead for good.
Blinn added two more runs in the third inning after Langston scored on Ogle's double and Ogle stole home.
Odessa extended its lead to 11-4 by adding five runs to the board in the fifth inning. Blinn scored its final run in the bottom half of the inning when Crews scored on a groundout.
Odessa scored two more runs in the seventh inning.
Next, Blinn will travel to Longview on Friday, March 8, for the Region XIV Crossover. The Buccaneers will open the tournament against No. 4 Butler Community College at 2 p.m. and finish the day against Kilgore College at 6 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 38 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
