Box Score JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven baseball team (41-20) suffered its first loss of the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on Tuesday afternoon with a 4-2 loss to top-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan. The Eagles stand alone as the only undefeated team left in the Jackson bracket, while the Blazers are scheduled to play at 2:30 Wednesday.

(Box Score-HTML)
Diego Ibarra (12-1) hurled eight strong innings, surrendering just one earned run on five hits while striking out four. CJ Gregory shut things down in the ninth for his 12^th save of the season.

"Their guy pitched a fine ballgame, but our Achilles' heel all year has been driving in runs," Head Coach Hill Denson said. "We had a number of opportunities to win the game, but we just didn't get it done."

Ibbara edged out Belhaven's Boomer Scarborough, who surrendered just one earned run over his five innings of work. After a fifth-inning error, however, the Eagles took a 2-1 lead and didn't look back for the rest of the game.

Chris Good and Ben Allison combined to record the next five outs before Andrew Gunn (4-1) allowed the final two runs in the eighth inning. Austin McCann recorded the final out after giving up a base hit, but the Eagles ended up with their second victory in as many days.

Belhaven punched seven base hits as a team, highlighted by two from leadoff man Reagan Rutledge. Tyler Akins was credited with the team's lone RBI, but the Blazers added to their NAIA-best 203 stolen bases with five more on Tuesday.

Avery Flores and Brandon Cummings contributed a pair of hits apiece, while Jose Ruiz, Trae Bobo, and Giancarlo Sironi each drove in a run. Gunner Joyce swiped three of the Eagles' four bags on the day as a pinch runner, while John Davenport claimed the other.

The loser of Sterling College and the University of Houston-Victoria will be eliminated from the tournament, while the winner will take on the Blazers at 2:30 on Wednesday. Oklahoma Wesleyan stands at 2-0 and must be defeated twice to be eliminated.

"It's always tough to bounce back, but today has nothing to do with tomorrow," Denson said. "We have to have a three-game winning streak to get to Lewiston, and that's what our minds our on right now."