Box Score
Mobile, AL-The Belhaven baseball team got their season rolling Friday night with a 3-2 victory at Spring Hill College in game one of a three game series with the Badgers. Friday's game also marked the opener of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference schedule for both teams.

 

Senior Craig Wescott got the start on the mound and in his Blazer debut fanned the first five batters that he faced. Wescott recorded 11 total strikeouts in five innings of work allowing just one hit and no runs during the five frames. The game remained scoreless over the first three innings as Wescott and Badger starter Matt Hasley kept the offenses in check.

 

The Blazers got on the board first with a run in the fourth inning off of Hasley. After retiring Lake Eiland and Timmy Foster on ground balls to begin the inning, Hasley hit Craig Dean and then uncorked a wild pitch to Wescott sending Dean down to second base. Wescott then tagged a single to left center plating Dean for the first run of the game. Spring Hill put two runners on base in the bottom of the fourth with just one out, but Wescott got out of trouble by striking out the final two batters of the inning.

 

Paul Faulknberry relieved Wescott on the mound in the sixth inning and kept the Badgers off the board to preserve the 1-0 Blazer lead. Belhaven then got the bats talking again in the top of the seventh when they struck for two more runs. Nick Clapper came out to pitch the seventh inning in relief of starter Matt Hasley for Spring Hill. Clapper walked Wescott and Charlie Edwards had a sacrifice bunt to move him to second base. Brent Hudson wrapped a single to right but a good relay throw cut down Westcott at the plate for the second out of the inning.

 

Brian McCormick kept the inning alive with a single, putting runner's on first and second for Belhaven with two outs. Shawn Diehl stepped to the plate and drove a double into the left centerfield gap scoring Hudson and pinch runner Mark Gray. Chanse Cooper hit a hard ground ball up the middle but Clapper was able to make the play and retire the side with Belhaven leading 3-0.

 

In the bottom of the eighth, the Badgers would rally to get right back into the ballgame. Pinch hitter Javier Cherta led off with a single and then Grant Brasher bounced an infield hit past the mound to put runners on first and second for Spring Hill. Faulkenberry fanned Ryan Cummings, but the Badgers loaded the bases on an error by Hudson on a ball to third off the bat of Ryan Hall. Faulkenberry walked the next batter Blake Nelson to bring in the first Badger run.

 

Chris Bennett was called in from the bullpen and his first pitch to Justin Harrison was in the dirt and went back to the screen allowing Brasher to score from third. Bennett then got Harrison to line out to left before giving way to Kyle Medley. Medley then induced a fly ball to left off the bat of Brad Holstein and the inning ended with Belhaven hanging on to a 3-2 advantage.

 

The Blazer offense went down in order in the top of the ninth and had to find a way to keep the Badgers off the board in the bottom half of the inning. Medley came back out to pitch the ninth and got Lucas Dobson to ground out to first to begin the inning. Pinch hitter Pat O'Malley grounded out third for second out and the game ended on a fly out to left center by Billy Saliksi.

 

Craig Wescott got the win for Belhaven and Medley earned his first save of the season to secure the victory for the Blazers. Diehl went 1 for 3 at the plate with a double and two runs batted in. Wescott went for 1 for 2 at the plate and drove in the other Blazer run.