Box Score
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven baseball team extended their winning streak to 10 in a row with a 12-2 seven inning victory over Mississippi College Tuesday night at Smith Wills Stadium. The win improves the Blazers record to 25-10 and also evens their Maloney Series mark at 2-2. The Choctaws are now 13-11 on the year and fall to 1-4 in the Maloney Series race.

 

Mississippi College struck first in the top of the first with an unearned run off of Joe Patterson. The leadoff batter Andy Smith hit a routine ground ball back to the mound, but Patterson threw low to first baseman Craig Westcott and the ball went into foul territory down the right field line allowing Smith to get to third. Chase Herrin then hit a ground ball to Lake Eiland at second base and Eiland fired home to cut down Smith on the fielder's choice. However, Herrin stole second and then came home on a two out single by Bo Bell for the first run.

 

It remained 1-0 Choctaws until the bottom of the fourth inning when Belhaven cracked the scoreboard with their first two runs of the game. With one out the inning, Craig Westcott smacked his sixth home run of the year over the left center field fence to knot the score at 1-1. Two batters later, Charlie Edwards launched his fifth homer of the season sending a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall off Mississippi College starter Brett Hinson to give the Blazers the lead at 2-1.

 

Belhaven tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to build their advantage to 4-1. Shawn Diehl was hit by a pitch to begin the inning and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chanse Cooper. Lake Eiland then hit a bloop double into shallow right field and made it to third after the ball was bobbled by the right fielder Walls. Brent Hudson sent Eiland home with a single up the middle for the innings second run.

 

The Blazers took advantage of a couple of costly errors in the bottom of the sixth to get five unearned runs and take a 9-2 lead. With one out, Brian McCormick singled into left field and then Diehl reached base on the innings first error. Diehl was then forced out at second when Cooper hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice to put runners on first and third with two outs.

 

Another error by the Choctaws on a ground ball to second by Eiland allowed the inning to continue and McCormick to score from third base. Cooper and Eiland both executed a double steal to set up a two run single by Timmy Foster. The inning was capped off by Craig Dean's fourth home run of the season which was a two run shot over the left field fence.

 

In the seventh, Mississippi College picked up their second run of the game on a two out double by Dakota Bodree off of Belhaven relief pitcher Chris Bennett plating Clay Crosswhite who had reached on a walk. Belhaven then ended the game with three runs in the bottom of the inning to put the 10 run rule into effect at 12-2.

 

Relief pitcher Jacan Warren walked the first two batters, Chad Howard and McCormick, and gave up an RBI single to Cooper for the first run. Walls committed his second error of the game on the hit by Cooper allowing McCormick to cross the plate on the play. Eiland followed with a single to right to put the game away and give the Blazers their 25^th win of the season.

 

Patterson pitched the first six innings of the contest for Belhaven allowing an unearned run on just four hits with five strike outs. Patterson is now 4-0 on the season and has stepped up over the last couple of weeks to solidify the mid-week starter spot in the rotation. Hinson took the loss for the Choctaws allowing two earned runs in four innings of work.

 

Offensively, the Blazers were led by Lake Eiland with three hits and 2 RBI's. Foster and Dean also had a pair of RBI's on the night followed by Cooper, Westcott, Hudson, and Edwards with an RBI each. Bell had two hits and an RBI for Mississippi College to pace their offense.