Box Score
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven baseball team opened a three game Gulf Coast Athletic Conference series with William Carey University Friday night at Smith Wills falling to the Crusaders 17-8. It was an ugly game all the way around for the Blazers who committed seven errors in the contest. With the loss, Belhaven falls to 14-9 overall and 9-6 in the GCAC. William Carey goes to 15-6 overall and 13-3 in league play.

 

The Crusaders opened up a seven run lead through 2.5 innings with two in the first, four in the second and one in the third. The Blazers got on the board in the bottom of the third with one run and then added another run in the bottom of the fourth. At that point it looked like the Blazers had settled down a bit and would make a run to get back in the game.

 

Things began to be even more promising in the bottom of the fifth when Charlie Edwards blasted a three run home run over the left field fence to pull Belhaven to within two runs of the Crusaders. Unfortunately, William Carey took the momentum right back with three runs in the sixth and another single tally in the seventh to build an 11-5 advantage.

 

Things got even uglier in the ninth when the Crusaders exploded for six more runs to take a 17-5 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Belhaven made an attempt to get back in the game with three runs but it was too little to late as William Carey went on to the 17-8 win.

 

Paul Faulkenberry started for the Blazers pitching the first 4.2 innings allowing seven runs on seven hits and was charged with his first loss of the season. However, only four of those runs were earned due in part to various Belhaven errors. Offensively, Edwards knocked in four of the eight Blazer runs on two hits. Brent Hudson had 3 hits in four at bats with an RBI while Chanse Cooper and Austin Fagan checked in with an RBI each.

 

Derek Thompson got the win for William Carey as he improves to 6-0 on the mound this season for the Crusaders.