Box Score Game 1        Box Score Game 2        Box Score Game 3
Jackson, MS-Despite rain showers on Friday night and the threat of more rain on Saturday, the Belhaven baseball team got its three game Gulf Coast Athletic Conference series with Spring Hill in and won all three contests by finals of 5-3 in game one, 10-0 in game two, and 8-4 in game three. The first game was suspended on Friday night due to heavy rain and was completed on Saturday. Belhaven is now 19-10 overall and 13-7 in the GCAC while Spring Hill falls to 12-15 overall and 8-13 in league play.

 

In the first contest of the series, the Blazers were limited to just one hit but managed to score enough runs to come away with the victory. Belhaven's only hit of the game was an infield single in the first inning off the bat of Lake Eiland which followed a Chanse Cooper walk. Cooper and Eiland then executed a double steal to get into scoring position. Timmy Foster struck out swinging, but Craig Westcott followed with an RBI ground out scoring Cooper to put the Blazers up 1-0.

 

Spring Hill quickly took the lead away from Belhaven in the top of the second getting two runs on two hits. The first run of the inning came in on a passed ball and then Ryan Hall drove in run number two on a single to right field making the score 2-1 Badgers. Spring Hill got their third run in the third inning when Ryan Cummings reached on a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third, and came in to score on a single by Lucas Dobson.

 

In the bottom of the third, the rain which had been falling the entire night really intensified making it difficult for the Spring Hill starting pitcher Matt Hasley to throw strikes. Hasley gave up seven free passes in the inning and walked in all four runs to give Belhaven a 5-3 lead. At that point the umpires stopped play and the game was picked up on Saturday with the bases loaded and one out in the inning. Michael Bouche' came in to pitch and worked out of the jam with no runs coming home, but the damage had already been done.

 

Neither team scored the rest of the way as Belhaven relief pitches Kyle Hunt and Kyle Medley shut down the Badger offense. Likewise, Bouche' kept the Blazer attack in check to keep it close to the end. Hunt picked up the win in relief tossing three innings allowing just one hit while striking out two running his record to 3-1. Medley got his ninth save of the year by pitching a scoreless seventh to preserve the 5-3 victory. Offensively, Westcott had 2 RBI's while Hudson, Edwards, and Dean had one RBI a piece.    

Belhaven dominated Spring Hill in game two thanks to Craig Westcott's no hitter and a solid offensive approach at the plate. Westcott, like in his first outing against the Badgers, kept their hitters off balance throughout the entire contest. Westcott pitched all six innings with six strikeouts to improve his record to 5-2 on the season.

 

Timmy Foster got Belhaven on the board in the bottom of the first slamming his seventh home run of the season over the right field fence to make the score 1-0. The Blazers got an unearned run in the third due to an error by Brad Holstein which kept the inning alive. Westcott had singled prior to the error with two outs and then the error allowed courtesy runner Chad Howard to go to third where he eventually came in to score on a base hit by Craig Dean.

 

The bottom of the fourth played out in a similar way to the third in that Belhaven's run was unearned due to an error and came after two men were out. Cooper rocketed a double into the left field followed by a wild throw by the pitcher Nick Clapper allowing Eiland to reach base with Cooper going to third. Foster made the Badgers pay with a single to center plating the third run of the game and expand the lead to 3-0.

 

Belhaven really took control with five runs in the bottom of the fifth as they strung together five hits off of Clapper and reliever Chris Bruce. Charlie Edwards tripled to begin the inning and crossed the plate on Deans single to left. Later in the inning, Cooper tripled down the right field line plating two more Blazer runs. Eiland brought in Cooper on a base hit and Westcott doubled in Eiland for the innings fifth run pushing Belhaven's lead to 8-0. Brian McCormick ended the game in the sixth with a two run homer over the left field fence making the score 10-0 putting the run rule into effect. For McCormick, it was home run number four on the season for the Belhaven catcher.

 

The Blazer offense was led by Cooper, Foster, Dean, and McCormick with 2 RBI's each. Eiland and Westcott each added single RBI's in the contest. McCormick had three hits in the game while Cooper, Foster, Westcott, Edwards and Dean had two hits apiece.

 

Game three of the day saw both teams score a pair of runs in the first inning. Holstein was credited with an RBI on a triple to right center and Javier Cherta picked up a run batted in on a ground out to second scoring Holstein. The Blazers got their first run on Fosters eighth home run of the year over the right field fence. Westcott then singled and Hudson followed with a walk to move Westcott to second. Edwards singled to right center to drive in Westcott to tie the score at 2-2.

 

The Badgers briefly took the lead at 3-2 in the top of the fourth on a double by Dobson which scored Cummings who had been previously hit by a pitch. Belhaven recaptured the advantage in the bottom of the inning getting a double off the bat of Eiland to plate Diehl who had led off the inning with a two bagger. Westcott ripped a single up the middle scoring Eiland from second to move the Blazers in front 4-3.

 

The Badgers regained the lead in the top of the fifth with a run, but Belhaven took the advantage for good in the bottom of the fifth with two runs on two hits. Kyle Feazell singled to open the inning and was courtesy run for by Chad Howard. Howard went to second on a stolen base and moved to third on an errant throw by catcher Fred Rossi. Diehl came up and shot a single to left scoring Howard from third. Cooper made it to first on a fielder's choice and scored on a sacrifice fly by Foster giving the Blazers a 6-4 lead.

 

Belhaven tacked on two more insurance runs in the sixth on an Edwards RBI double down the left field line and a Feazell RBI single up the middle. Belhaven relief pitcher Riley Galloway closed the door in the seventh to preserve the 8-4 win. Galloway earned his second save of the season pitching the final two innings allowing one hit while recording two strikeouts.

 

Brandt Hinton got the start for the Blazers and improved his record to 3-4 in 2009 with five innings of work. Hinton was charged with four runs on seven hits in the contest. Spring Hill relief pitcher Quinn Nichols suffered the loss as he gave up five of the eight Belhaven runs.

 

Foster and Edwards led the team in game three with 2 RBI's as Eiland, Westcott, Feazell, and Diehl each collected an RBI. Westcott and Edwards led the hit parade with three hits apiece. Cooper, Hudson, Feazell and Diehl all had two hits in the contest.