A season-opening doubleheader between two of the NJCAA’s top-10 baseball teams ended in a split Sunday in Weatherford.
Second-ranked Blinn College dropped game one to No. 7 Weatherford College 5-2 before storming back for an 18-12 victory in the finale.
“More times than not you’re not happy about a split, but that’s about as good of a split as you could ask for,” fourth-year Bucs coach Dusty Hard said. “If we lose that second game, it’s a much longer bus ride home, so I was proud of our guys for staying locked in and staying the course. They did a heck of a job bouncing back.”
In the seven-inning opener, redshirt freshman Luke Ekdall got the start for Blinn and took the loss following a four-inning effort. He allowed four earned runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. It was Ekdall’s first appearance since suffering a season-ending injury during Blinn’s 2025 season opener. He also missed Blinn’s 2024 national championship season with an injury.
Redshirt freshman Landon Bowden worked the fifth and sixth frames and gave up an earned run on two hits with two punchouts.
Coyotes’ starting pitcher Noah Bentley got the win for Weatherford after surrendering two earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks. His only mistake across 4 2/3 innings was a two-run home run to Blinn sophomore center fielder Reece Lunsford in the top of the fifth.
The Coyotes struck first with one run in the second and three more in the third. After Lunsford’s homer cut Blinn’s deficit in half, Weatherford added another insurance tally in the home half of the fifth.
Lunsford added a seventh-inning double and finished with two of the Bucs’ five hits.
“I thought Ekdall was good for us today, especially considering how long it had been since he had pitched and how little he has pitched over the last two years,” Hart said. “I think overall, with it being the first game of the season, I think maybe everybody was a little wound up and tense, and it took a game to get those jitters out.”
Game two was a much different story for both squads, as Blinn took the lead in the first inning and never looked back.
Freshman first baseman Austin Glasscock’s two-run triple accounted for the Bucs’ first-inning offense.
Weatherford got one run back off of the Bucs starting pitcher Hayden Morris when sophomore Cayden Byrd lifted his first of three homers over the wall in right field.
Blinn got right back to work in the second inning and erupted for nine runs.
Freshman third baseman Ryley Leininger made it 12-1 with an RBI double in the third.
Weatherford escaped run-rule territory with a four-run third.
An error allowed another Blunn run to cross the plate in the fifth, but the Coyotes climbed within 13-8 with three more runs during their half of the inning.
Sophomore first baseman Drew Britton smacked an RBI single and sophomore second baseman Hunter Smolinski added an RBI base hit in the seventh to push the Bucs’ lead to 15-8.
Weatherford made one more push with a three spot in the seventh, but Blinn kept tacking on.
In the eighth, Lunsford scored on an error after sophomore shortstop Jacob Bohacek doubled, and Leininger plated Bohacek with an RBI groundout.
In the ninth, Bucs sophomore right fielder Brady Sullivan capped the scoring when he came home after Smolinski was caught in a rundown between first and second base.
Blinn racked up 15 hits, including five extra-base knocks.
Bohacek and freshman catcher Zachary Tuxhorn had three hits apiece, and Leininger, Glasscock, and Smolinski each had two. Glasscock had four runs batted in, Leininger and Tuxhorn had three RBIs apiece, and Bohacek, Smolinski, and Britton each had a pair. Bohacek also had two of the Bucs’ five stolen bases.
“We had a much better approach at the plate in the second game, especially with two strikes,” Hart added. “We drew nine walks and were more selective with the pitches we swung at. I’m really proud of how our hitters responded to a tough first game.”
Sophomore pitcher Hudson Melaerts earned an eight-out save to seal the Bucs’ first win of 2026. He worked 2 2/3 frames in which he gave up one earned run on three hits with four punchouts and two free passes.
Morris earned the victory after allowing five runs (all earned) on five hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Morris is now 12-0 in his Blinn career after going 11-0 in 2025.
“Morris is going to be just fine,” Hart said. “When you throw 98 miles per hour like he does, you’re going to give up some hard hits. He’s a competitor and he gave us a chance to win, which is all we can ask for.”
Sophomore pitcher Ben Polleschultz was charged with six earned runs on six hits across 2 1/3 innings of middle relief.
Up next, Blinn hosts Dodge City Community College for its home opener at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham.