The Blinn College softball team capped its regular season with a Region XIV South Zone sweep of Lamar State College-Port Arthur in a doubleheader Wednesday in Port Arthur, Texas.
The Buccaneers surged to a 12-4, six-inning win in game one before securing a 12-3 victory in the finale.
"Finishing out the regular season with four wins is huge and it was important to finish out on that note," Blinn head coach Rick Church said. "Hopefully this will help with our self-belief going into the regional tournament."
The Buccaneers end the regular season with a 28-20 record and a 14-10 mark in the South Zone. Blinn will now turn its attention to the Region XIV North Regional tournament, where the fourth-seeded Bucs will open play with a first-round tilt against top-seeded Bossier Parish Community College on May 12 in Bossier City, La. A time for the matchup has yet to be announced. Joining Blinn from the South will be second-seeded San Jacinto-College South. Northeast Texas Community College is the North's second representative and enters as the bracket's third seed.
Blinn gave itself some extra momentum with two big wins over Port Arthur.
In the opener, the Bucs did most of their damage in the later innings, finishing with a six-run outburst in the top of the sixth frame.
The Seahawks grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first before Blinn tied things up on an RBI single from freshman Erynne Castillo in the third. Port Arthur took one more lead in the home half of the inning, going ahead 2-1, but a three-run inning for the Bucs in the fourth put the visitors ahead for good.
Freshman Haley Rust smacked an RBI triple to tie the game before freshman Ripley Welker put Blinn ahead with an RBI groundout. Sophomore Michyla Saenz later reached on an error which scored Welker for a 4-2 edge.
The Bucs tacked on two more runs in the fifth on a two-run home run for sophomore Caitlyn Stevens before dowsing the Seahawks with six runs in the sixth.
Blinn pounded out 14 hits, led by a three-hit day for Rust. Stevens shined with two hits and three RBIs, and Welker and sophomores Emily Kristynik and Madeline Stephenson also drove in two runs apiece. Freshmen Alyssa Boozy and Madyson Henley added two hits each.
In the pitcher's circle, freshman Sydnie Cline (4-2) worked five innings of six-hit ball for the win and allowed four runs (three earned) with three walks and two strikeouts. Freshman Peyton Welker tossed a perfect sixth inning with two punchouts to close the game.
Blinn used a five-run first inning to take control from the outset of game two, and finished the sweep with a bang as the Bucs scored six more runs in the seventh.
"We had some big innings today," Church added. "We'll take them."
Kristynik clubbed four hits, including a pair of doubles, and drove in three RBIs to pace Blinn. Stevens doubled to go with her three hits and also drove in a run, and freshman Madison Dorrow doubled while driving in a pair.
Castillo, Boozy, and Rust also had one RBI apiece. Rust tripled.
The Bucs tallied 12 hits.
Sophomore Chloee Mason (10-8) earned the victory with six strong innings of work. She allowed two unearned runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Welker returned to the circle in the seventh and got the final three outs to end the day.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 43 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
