Baseball 4/23/2026 11:45:00 PM

Smolinski’s walk-off lifts No. 7 Blinn past Galveston, delivers Hart’s 800th win

Smolinski tied the game with a home run in the ninth before winning it with an RBI double in the 10th

Baseball 4/23/2026 11:45:00 PM

Smolinski’s walk-off lifts No. 7 Blinn past Galveston, delivers Hart’s 800th win

Smolinski tied the game with a home run in the ninth before winning it with an RBI double in the 10th

Hunter Smolinski delivered in a milestone moment for the seventh-ranked Blinn College baseball team.

Smolinski doubled in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Buccaneers to a 7-6 walk-off victory over Galveston College on Thursday at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas, securing the 800th career win for head coach Dusty Hart.

The Region 14 South victory pushed Blinn to 34-12 overall and 22-7 in the South standings. Hart, in his 20th season as an NJCAA head coach, improved to 800-341 overall.

"However it was meant to happen, it was going to be special, but it came at the end of a great game," Hart said. "This is a team achievement, and it has to be. This milestone really tells a story of how fortunate I am to have had all of the players, coaches, and people who have bought into a vision. I've been lucky to have a career in this game – a long career – and without all of the supporting players, none of this would be possible."

Hart spent 16 seasons with Grayson College, where he won the 2008 NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series. He then arrived at Blinn in 2023 and guided the Buccaneers to their first World Series appearance since 2014. In 2024, Hart led Blinn to its first national championship, and the Bucs returned to the World Series in 2025. He has compiled a 175-59 record at Blinn.

After Galveston rallied from a 5-2 deficit to take a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth inning, Smolinski responded with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom half to force extra innings.

In the 10th, Smolinski came to the plate with one out and runners on first and second. He drove the eighth pitch of the at-bat to the wall in left-center field for a double, scoring freshman infielder Ryley Leininger with the winning run.

Smolinski said he didn't realize the significance of the moment until after the game.

"In that situation (at the plate), I was just trying to stay patient and get a good pitch to hit," Smolinski said. "I put a good swing on the ball, and it was a great moment to be able to win it there for the team. It wasn't until after the celebration on the field that I found out it was coach Hart's 800th; that's pretty awesome. The respect we all have for him is indescribable, so to be able to be a part of tonight I know means a ton to everyone on this team."

Smolinski finished with two hits and two RBIs. His homer was his 11th of the season.

Blinn sophomore infielder Jacob Bohacek drove in a run on a fielder's choice to open the scoring in the third inning.

A bases-loaded walk from freshman utility man Dane Perry and a sacrifice fly from sophomore utility man Kason Atkins in the fourth made it 3-0.

The Whitecaps answered with a run in the top of the sixth. Perry extended the lead to 5-1 with a two-run homer – his seventh of the season – in the bottom half.

Galveston scored once in the seventh inning and added three runs in the eighth to tie the game before taking a 6-5 lead in the ninth.

Blinn finished with 10 hits. Bohacek and Leininger each had two hits, while Perry drove in three runs.

Leininger (2-0) earned the win on the mound after tossing a scoreless inning of relief in the 10th. He struck out one.

Sophomore Ben Polleschultz started for the Buccaneers and earned a no-decision despite a solid outing. He allowed one earned run on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts across six innings.

Blinn and Galveston conclude their series with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Galveston, Texas.

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

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