Baseball 5/9/2026 1:32:00 AM

No. 3 Blinn rolls past San Jacinto-North and into South Regional championship round

Dylan Thompson’s complete game and Buccaneers’ offense put Blinn on brink of fourth consecutive regional title

Baseball 5/9/2026 1:32:00 AM

No. 3 Blinn rolls past San Jacinto-North and into South Regional championship round

Dylan Thompson’s complete game and Buccaneers’ offense put Blinn on brink of fourth consecutive regional title

The third-ranked Blinn College baseball team is on the brink of a fourth consecutive regional championship.

The Buccaneers got a strong start from pitcher Dylan Thompson and backed him with a powerful offensive performance in a 12-1, five-inning victory over San Jacinto College-North in the semifinal round of the Region 14 South Regional on Friday at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas.

Blinn (42-12) improved to 2-0 in the tournament and is now one win away from securing a fourth regional championship in four seasons under head coach Dusty Hart.

"We're one step closer to the goal, but we made sure to tell our guys after the game that the job is not done," Hart said. "We have another big one tomorrow, and it's on them to stay locked in and focused regardless of who ends up in the other dugout."

The Bucs advanced to the championship round, where they will take on the winner of the consolation matchup between San Jacinto-North and Tyler Junior College at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Ravens and Apaches are scheduled to face off at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Should Blinn win Saturday, it will advance to the Region 14 Super Regional and face the winner of the Region 14 North Regional in a best-of-three series. If the Bucs are defeated Saturday, a winner-take-all championship game will be played Sunday at a time to be determined.

Friday's showdown between South rivals was all Bucs, highlighted by Thompson's dominant outing on the mound.

The right-hander allowed one run on four hits and five walks while striking out nine in a complete-game effort. Thompson improved to 7-0 on the season.

"Dylan was a little amped up early, but one thing about him is he has an innate ability to make pitches when he has to," Hart said. "San Jacinto put pressure on him, but every inning he was able to dig deep and make a pitch to get us off the field. They were one big hit away from this being a different ballgame, but a big reason it worked in our favor was Dylan Thompson."

Freshman third baseman Ryley Leininger provided all the offense his team would need in the bottom of the second inning. After freshman catcher Zachary Tuxhorn singled and sophomore utility man Benji Barrera walked, Leininger tripled in both baserunners. He later crossed the plate on a passed ball for a 3-0 cushion.

The Ravens got one run back in the top of the third, but with the bases loaded and one out, Thompson punched out the next two hitters he faced to preserve Blinn's lead.

Leininger and freshman utility Dane Perry drew consecutive walks with the bases loaded, and sophomore outfielder Reece Lunsford drove in a run on a double play to push the Bucs' advantage to 6-1 in the bottom of the third.

Blinn added four more runs in the fourth before sophomore first baseman Drew Britton launched a two-run home run to right field in the fifth to end the game. The homer was his ninth of the season.

The Bucs collected eight hits and drew eight walks. Britton and Tuxhorn had two hits apiece, while Britton and Leininger each finished with three RBIs.

The offensive outburst was a welcome sight for the Bucs after they held on for a nail-biting 2-1 victory over Paris Junior College in Thursday's opening round.

"We took some really good swings Thursday that ended with some bad luck, so I was proud of our guys today for understanding that we were on the right track," Hart added. "They put their heads down and the results were different tonight because we stuck to our approach."

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

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