Baseball 3/1/2026 9:52:00 AM

No. 9 Blinn overpowers Coastal Bend for Region 14 doubleheader sweep, series win

The Buccaneers hit eight home runs and tallied 28 runs in the pair of five-inning victories

Baseball 3/1/2026 9:52:00 AM

No. 9 Blinn overpowers Coastal Bend for Region 14 doubleheader sweep, series win

The Buccaneers hit eight home runs and tallied 28 runs in the pair of five-inning victories

The ninth-ranked Blinn College baseball team responded to a disappointing Region 14 South opener in a big way.

The Buccaneers concluded their three-game series with Coastal Bend College with an offense-driver doubleheader sweep Saturday at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas.

Blinn earned a pair of five-inning victories with a 12-0 win to start the day and a 16-5 rout in the finale.

It was an impressive response to a 7-2 road loss to the Cougars on Thursday.

"There was some frustration among our guys after the loss, and we learned a lot about ourselves in terms of preparation and being ready to come out and play," Blinn head coach Dusty Hart said. "The way we came out and took the field was the exact opposite of Thursday, and we got another glimpse of how special this offense can be when they fully lock in."

Blinn (12-6, 2-1 South) scored in every inning of Saturday's opener, using 10 hits and five walks to subdue the Cougars.

Six of those hits – three home runs and three doubles – went for extra bases.

Sophomore first baseman Drew Britton and sophomore infielders Hunter Smolinski and Jacob Bohacek hit longballs for the Bucs.

Britton also doubled and matched Smolinski with two hits and two RBIs. Bohacek finished with three RBIs.

Sophomore outfielder Kason Atkins had a double and two RBIs.

On the mound, redshirt freshman Luke Ekdall earned his first collegiate win and improved to 1-3. He put together his best start of the year as he worked a five-inning, one-hit complete game. He walked one Cougar and struck out seven.

Ekdall joined the Bucs in 2024 but missed that season and the 2025 campaign with injuries. He has pitched admirably this spring, including a pair of starts in which he allowed two hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 3-1 loss, and no hits in 5 innings of a 2-1 setback.

"What we accomplished today really started with Ekdall," Hart added. "He came into the day 0-3, but you wouldn't have known it – he doesn't care about that stuff. He has the right mentality to go out on the mound every time his number is called and give you everything he's got. He's just an unselfish guy who wants to do whatever he can to help the team win."

In game two, the Bucs picked up right where they left off.

After Coastal Bend got to Blinn starting pitcher Hayden Morris for three runs in the top of the first, Blinn responded with seven tallies in its half.

The Bucs piled on nine more runs in the second.

Eight of Blinn's 11 hits went for extra bases.

Bohacek hit a two-run homer in the first; freshman catcher Dane Perry added a three-run blast later in the inning; freshman third baseman Ryley Leininger added a three-run shot in the second; sophomore outfielder Brady Sullivan added a two-run bomb in the second; and Britton concluded the power display with a two-run shot to make it 16-3.

Bohacek, who transferred to Blinn after spending his freshman season at NAIA program Georgia Gwinnett College in 2025, has been on a power surge to start the year. He leads the Bucs with nine homers and 25 RBIs.

The Cougars got two runs back in the top of the third.

Bohacek, Britton, and freshman catcher/designated hitter Zachary Tuxhorn had two hits apiece.

On the mound, Morris earned the victory and improved to 4-1. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Freshman Corby Wagoner pitched a perfect fifth frame with one strikeout to end it.

Blinn continues region play with a four-game series against South rival and eighth-ranked San Jacinto College-North beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Houston.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.

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