Coyotes remain in the hunt, run-rule Blinn College in World Series semifinal
Jun. 2—GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado — On the brink of elimination Thursday, the Weatherford College Coyotes did more than survive. They thrived.
WC jumped out to an explosive start and leftie Ryne Rodriguez was all right as the Coyotes cruised to a 12-2 run-ruled victory over Blinn College in a five-inning Texas showdown semifinal at the JUCO World Series.
Rodriguez was solid on the mound, earning the complete-game win. He gave up four hits and two earned runs while striking out nine.
The freshman from Fort Worth said his pitching coach — and his teammates behind him — contributed to the success Thursday.
"[Our pitching coach] trusted I could throw any pitch whenever I wanted for a strike," Rodriguez said. "It's easy to pitch whenever you have a big run differential and a good defense behind you."
After retiring the Buccaneers, Robin Villeneuve earned a walk to load the bases with fellow runners Jack Clark and Chase Pendley in the bottom of the first. Joey Baran stepped up the plate and delivered a double off the wall to bat in two runs.
Dayton Tockey followed up with another RBI double to score Villeneuve, and a bloop single to right field by Kanon Sundgren allowed Baran to cross the plate. Up 4-0 in the bottom of the first, the Coyotes were in business.
Following a scoreless second thanks to a dramatic over-the-wall catch by a Blinn outfielder to rob Jack Arthur of a home run, Weatherford College rallied again, this time with a two-run homer by Sundgren, to chase the Buccaneers' starter off the mound.
Blinn didn't stay down for long, putting up two runs in the fourth to make it 6-2, but a key strikeout by Rodriguez ended any further threats.
Weatherford College saved its best for last, scoring six runs in the bottom of the fifth, capped off by a three-run homer by Arthur to end the game on the run rule.
"They came out and played at a high level," WC head coach Jeff Lightfoot said after the game. "The way they communicated with each other and their body language — I'm proud of those guys."
The Weatherford College line-up was generous, with eight different Coyotes scoring runs and seven with at least one RBI.
Clark and Sundgren were each 2-for-3, combining for four of those runs and four RBIs.
The Coyotes faced Central Florida in Game 18 Friday.
The Patriots defeated Wabash Valley Thursday night in a five-hour, 12-inning marathon that broke the record for longest game time in World Series history, 19-12.
It was Wabash Valley's first loss of the tournament but, due to number of games played, they advanced to the championship game and faced the winner of CF/WC Saturday.
