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Blinn College

Scoreboard

Ryley Leininger 2026
3
Salt Lake Community College SALT LAK 39-17
13
Winner Blinn College BLINN CO 46-12
Salt Lake Community College SALT LAK
39-17
3
Final
13
Blinn College BLINN CO
46-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Salt Lake Community College SALT LAK 3 0 0 0 0 3 5 1
Blinn College BLINN CO 5 0 3 5 X 13 10 1

W: Thompson, Dylan (9-0) L: Easton Davies (5-2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Second-seeded Blinn rolls past defending champion Salt Lake in World Series opener

Bohacek's two homers, Leininger's grand slam, and Thompson's complete game led the Buccaneers to a run-rule victory

Behind two home runs from Jacob Bohacek, a grand slam by Ryley Leininger, and a complete-game performance from pitcher Dylan Thompson, the Blinn College baseball team cruised to a 13-3 run-rule victory over Salt Lake Community College on Saturday in the opening round of the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series.

Making their fourth consecutive appearance at the JUCO World Series at Sam Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colo., the second-seeded Buccaneers (46-12) won their tournament opener for the third time during that stretch. Blinn also extended its winning streak to 14 games.

"I thought we did a really good job of staying in our mode of operation," Bucs head coach Dusty Hart said. "Everybody was firing on all cylinders today, and it felt like a continuation of what we've been doing this entire month."

Saturday's matchup featured the last two national champions, with Blinn winning its first title in 2024 and Salt Lake capturing its inaugural championship in 2025.

For one inning, the game looked like a championship fight between seasoned heavyweights.

The ninth-seeded Bruins struck first on a three-run homer off Thompson, but the sophomore right-hander retired the next two hitters he faced to escape the inning.

In the home half of the frame, Bohacek got the Bucs on the board with the first of his two home runs, a solo shot to left-center field.

"I was just looking for a pitch over the plate that I could drive," Bohacek said. "I was happy to get a couple of good swings on some pitches and help put some runs on the board for us."

The fireworks continued after Bohacek's blast as sophomore first baseman Drew Britton and freshman catcher Zachary Tuxhorn followed with back-to-back singles. Sophomore utility player Benji Barrera was then hit by a pitch to bring Leininger to the plate.

On a 3-1 count, Leininger crushed a low fastball on the inner half into the parking lot beyond the right-field wall to give Blinn a 5-3 lead.

"I didn't even feel the ball off the bat," Leininger said. "I just saw it in the air and knew it was gone. It felt amazing. It's one of those feelings you chase as a hitter."

It remained a two-run game until the bottom of the third inning. After sophomore outfielder Reece Lunsford legged out a one-out double, sophomore utility player Kason Atkins drew a walk. One out later, Bohacek deposited another ball into virtually the same spot as his first homer to make it 8-3.

The Bucs broke things open with five more runs in the fourth inning. An error started the scoring before a balk made it 10-3. Lunsford added an RBI single, Bohacek drove in his fifth run of the game with an RBI base hit, and another run scored on a passed ball to cap the inning.

Blinn scored in double figures for the fifth consecutive game.

The Bucs totaled 10 hits, led by Bohacek's three-hit effort. Barrera and Lunsford added two hits apiece, while Leininger finished with four RBIs.

"One through nine, our lineup did its job," Hart added. "It's always a concern as a coach that playing in this environment in front of this many people can make guys try to hit every ball 500 feet or throw every pitch 100 miles per hour. But our guys handled the situation as well as you could ask for and really rose to the occasion."

Thompson (9-0) also did his part, rebounding from the rough first inning to go the distance. He allowed three earned runs on five hits, walked two, struck out one, and needed just 67 pitches.

"My sinker and change-up were working well today, and I was filling up the strike zone," Thompson said. "I knew today would be a challenge pitching in a ballpark that favors hitters against a good Salt Lake lineup, but I knew if I trusted my stuff and attacked the zone, I'd be all right."

Thompson also added with a smile: "Our hitters absolutely raked today."

The Bucs will face eighth-seeded Wabash Valley College in the second round at 10 a.m. CT on Monday, May 25. Wabash Valley defeated third-seeded Midland College, 11-6, in first-round action late Saturday night.

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