Box Score Game 1        Box Score Game 2
Shreveport, LA-In a rain shortened Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Series at 5^th ranked LSU-Shreveport on Saturday, the Belhaven baseball team earned a double header split against the Pilots losing game one 13-8 while coming back in game two to pick up an 18-11 victory. Friday night's game was cancelled due to heavy rain and will not be made up. The Blazers are now 26-11 overall and 17-8 in the GCAC. LSU-Shreveport goes to 30-5 overall and 20-2 in league play.

 

Belhaven jumped out of the gate in game one scoring the first seven runs of the game to build a 7-0 lead. The contest was scoreless through the first two innings until the Blazers struck for six runs in the top of the third. Craig Dean led the inning off with a base hit to center and scored when Brian McCormick unloaded his fifth home run of the season to make it 2-0 Belhaven.

 

The Blazers other four runs came after two men were out and a dropped pop up in the inning by Andrew Blubaugh helped open the door for the Belhaven offense. With Chanse Cooper and Timmy Foster on base, Craig Westcott's pop fly was misplayed by Blubaugh allowing Cooper to score. The big hit in the inning came off the bat of Brent Hudson who drilled his fifth home run of the year making the 6-0.

 

Belhaven tacked on another run in the top of the fourth when Cooper doubled home Shawn Diehl with two outs in the inning to give the Blazers a 7-0 lead. Unfortunately, the advantage would not hold up as the Pilots fought back with 10 runs on five hits and a Blazer error in the bottom of the fourth to seize the lead and the momentum.

 

Belhaven scraped together a run in the top of the sixth when Lake Eiland singled to right center bringing in Craig Dean from third base. However, it was too little too late as LSU-Shreveport added two runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth and made their 13-8 stand up in the seventh keeping the Blazers off the board to secure the win.

 

Westcott suffered his third loss of the season on the mound falling to 6-3 after giving up 10 runs with six being earned in 3.2 innings of work. Westcott struck out five while allowing seven walks. Hudson led the offense with 3 RBI's while McCormick had 2 RBI's. Cooper and Charlie Edwards each had two hits apiece for Belhaven. John James earned the win firing five innings and five LSU-Shreveport batters had 2 RBI's each.

 

The Blazers turned the tables on the Pilots in game two by exploding for a big inning of their own posting an 11 run seventh in a come from behind victory. Foster also had a big game as he connected on three home runs in the contest to lead the offense.

 

Belhaven scored early getting their first three runs of the game in the top of the first on Foster's first homer of the game, which was a three run shot over the right center field fence. Cooper and Eiland had led the inning off with walks to set up the three run blast by Foster. However, LSUS responded with three runs in the bottom of the first off of Blazer starting pitcher Brandt Hinton to knot the score at 3-3. Blubaugh drove a two out three run double to account for all three runs.

 

Belhaven regained the lead in the top of the second when McCormick singled to left and thanks to a pair of wild pitches the Blazers were able to get the run across the plate. Belhaven tacked on another run in the top of the third on home run number two of the game off the bat of Foster which sailed over the right center field wall to make the score 5-3.

 

The Pilots countered with three runs in the bottom of the third to gain the lead for the first time in the game. Chase Wentz blasted a three run homer off of Hinton, which was his eighth of the year, giving LSUS a 6-5 lead. The Pilots then got another three run home run in the bottom of the fourth from Andrew Brouilette on the first pitch he saw from relief pitcher Golden Grasse and LSUS extended their advantage to 9-5. The Pilots brought two more runs home in the sixth with an 11-5 lead it didn't look good for the Blazers.

 

Fortunately, the Blazers rallied in the seventh scoring 11 times on four hits. Foster got the scoring started with his third home run of the game and 11^th of the season to bring in the first three runs of the inning. Westcott then reached base on an error by David Bradley and relief pitcher Richard Pharr loaded the bases giving up a double to Hudson and a walk to Edwards.  Pharr then proceeded to walk three straight Blazer hitters with the bases loaded to plate three more runs to tie the score at 11-11.

 

Pharr then uncorked a wild pitch as Chad Howard scored from third base to put the Blazers back on top 12-11. Cooper followed with an RBI single and another wild pitch this time by Gino Spratley brought home another tally and the Blazers led 14-11. Eiland doubled to left to drive in two more runs and Westcott hit a sac fly to account for the 11^th and final run on the inning as the Blazers then held a 16-11 lead.

 

Belhaven then added some insurance runs in the top of the eighth on a two run home run by McCormick which was sixth long ball of the season and second on the day. Kyle Hunt and Joe Patterson combined to pitch the final two innings and hold off the Pilots for the win. Hunt got the win in relief as he pitched a total of 2.1 innings shutting out LSUS on two hits while recording four strikeouts.

 

Foster paced the Belhaven offense with 7 RBI's on a 3 for 6 afternoon at the plate. Eiland also collected three hits and drove in two runs. McCormick accounted for 3 RBI's on a pair of hits including a home run. Cooper, Westcott, and Howard also had an RBI in the Blazer victory.

 

Pharr was saddled with the loss for LSU-Shreveport as he was charged with eight of the 18 runs. Blubaugh, Wentz and Brouillette were the offensive leaders for the Pilots collecting 3 RBI's apiece in the game.