Davila blasts three homers in Buccaneer wins
Freshman third baseman tallies eight RBIs on the day
PORT ARTHUR, Texas – Freshman third baseman Kristina Davila blasted three home runs and the Blinn Buccaneer pitching staff threw 12 shutout innings in a double-header sweep over Lamar State-Port Arthur here Friday afternoon.
The Blinn softball team defeated Lamar State 13-0 in the opener, which ended via mercy rule after five innings, then shut out the Seahawks 7-0 in the finale.
Sophomore pitcher Kaci Federwisch threw a two-hitter in the opener to improve to 15-5 on the season. Neither of Lamar State’s hits left the infield.
“There wasn’t much solid contact off Kaci today,” Blinn coach Rick Church said.
She got plenty of support early, as the Buccaneers rallied for seven runs in the second inning. Freshman Caitie Carney hit a two-run double and Kristina Riley added an RBI single before Davila’s first bomb of the afternoon, a three-run shot that cleared the center field fence.
Blinn added three more runs in the fourth on a two-run triple by Tiffani McKnight and an RBI single from Davila, and in the fifth inning Leandra Maly and Thomasina Garza each drove in runs.
Freshman Shannon Sain struck out nine en route to the Game 2 victory, improving her season record to 9-1. She allowed just two hits and walked three in her first outing in more than a week.
Once again, the Buccaneers provided plentiful offense early, this time with a five-run third inning as Davila launched a three-run home run that struck the top of the left field foul pole and Maly drove another run in.
Davila’s third home run – this one to right field – drove in two runs in the fifth inning. She finished the double-header with four hits – including three homers – and eight RBIs.
“That ought to move her up the conference RBI rankings,” Church said. “She was going with the pitch today. When you hit a home run to all three fields, you’re doing a pretty good job of hitting.”
Garza and McKnight were each 3-for-6 on the day.
The Bucs, who swept Galveston in a road double-header on Wednesday, will now travel to Coastal Bend College Saturday with a four-game win streak in tow. Blinn, which is ranked No. 11 in the nation by the National Junior College Athletic Association, improved to 30-7 on the season and 7-3 in the Region XIV Conference.
Saturday’s double-header against Coastal Bend begins at 1 p.m. The Buccaneers will host Galveston College for a double-header at Hohlt Park at 4 p.m. Monday.
For more information on Blinn athletics, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
