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Blinn College

Scoreboard

Blinn Baseball Runner-Up World Series 2026
5
Blinn College BC 48-14, 4-2 JUCO
8
Winner Johnson County Community College JCCC 67-3, 5-0 JUCO
Blinn College BC
48-14, 4-2 JUCO
5
Final
8
Johnson County Community College JCCC
67-3, 5-0 JUCO
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Blinn College BC 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 5 11 1
Johnson County Community College JCCC 0 0 0 2 4 1 1 0 X 8 9 1

W: Lance Alexander (3-2) L: Polleschultz, Ben (6-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Blinn's bid for second national championship falls short as Johnson County claims title

The Buccaneers concluded their remarkable season with a second-place finish

The Blinn College baseball team's pursuit of a second national championship came up just short Friday.

Despite a valiant effort against the nation's top-ranked team, the third-ranked Buccaneers fell 8-5 to Johnson County Community College in the championship game of the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series at Sam Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colo.

Second-seeded Blinn went 4-2 in the double-elimination tournament and finished its season with a 49-14 record.

The Bucs needed a victory to force a winner-take-all game Saturday as they looked to earn their second national crown after capturing the program's first in 2024.

In the end, it wasn't in the cards for the Bucs, as the top-seeded Cavaliers rallied from a 3-2 deficit with a four-run fifth inning before adding insurance runs in the sixth and seventh frames.

Blinn did an admirable job of limiting the heavy-hitting Cavaliers through three innings. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Ben Polleschultz (6-1) kept Johnson County scoreless during that stretch while his team grabbed a 1-0 lead on an RBI triple from sophomore outfielder Brady Sullivan in the second inning.

Johnson County finally broke through on a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth — its first of four long balls on the night.

Blinn regained the lead in the top of the fifth when sophomore first baseman Drew Britton blasted a two-run shot to right field, his 10th home run of the season and second of the tournament.

The Cavaliers answered with four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead for good.

After Johnson County made it 7-3 in the sixth, the Bucs responded with a solo home run from sophomore shortstop Jacob Bohacek in the seventh. It was Bohacek's fourth homer of the World Series and 16th of the season.

The Cavaliers connected on their fourth home run of the game in the bottom of the seventh to stretch their advantage to 8-4.

In the ninth, Blinn loaded the bases before freshman designated hitter Austin Glasscock lined a two-out RBI single to center field. With the tying run on deck, however, the Bucs were unable to extend the rally as a strikeout ended the game.

Blinn finished with 11 hits, including two apiece from Britton and Bohacek. Britton also drove in two runs.

On the mound, Polleschultz worked four innings and allowed six runs (four earned) on six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. Redshirt freshman relievers Marc Barnhard and Landon Bowden followed. Barnhard surrendered two earned runs on three hits while striking out six over three innings. Bowden tossed a perfect eighth inning and recorded one strikeout.

Bucs sophomore pitcher Dylan Thompson earned Pitcher of the Tournament honors after going 2-0 in two appearances in Grand Junction. He pitched two complete games and allowed four earned runs across 11 innings of work with four walks and two strikeouts.

Sophomore second baseman and area native Hunter Smolinski took home Defensive Player of the Tournament honors for Blinn. He recorded eight putouts and 16 assists and played a part in seven double plays.

Thompson, Smolinski, Bohacek, and freshman third baseman Ryley Leininger were named to the World Series All-Tournament team.

Though the Bucs were unable to reascend the mountaintop this spring, the arrow continues to point upward under the leadership of head coach Dusty Hart.

In each of Hart's seasons with Blinn, the team has won the Region 14 South regular-season championship, the Region 14 South Regional Tournament title, and Mid-South District championship, and earned four consecutive trips to the World Series — all program records. The Bucs finished fourth nationally in 2023, won it all in 2024, placed fifth in 2025, and earned runner-up honors Friday.

Blinn has also improved its win total year-to-year under Hart, going from 46 victories in 2023 to 47 in 2024, 48 in 2025, and 49 this season.

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