Box Score Game 1        Box Score Game 2
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven baseball team split a double header with William Carey University on Saturday afternoon at Smith Wills Stadium to wrap up their three game Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Series with the Crusaders. The Blazers won game one 12-8 but dropped game two by a final of 10-9. William Carey ended up taking two of the three games in the series to improve to 16-7 overall and 14-4 in the GCAC. Belhaven is now 15-10 overall and 10-7 in league action.

                                          

There was plenty of offense to go around on Saturday and the Blazers got the offense going in inning number two scoring twice to take an early 2-0 lead. Craig Westcott double to start the second followed by Brent Hudson who was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. With one out, Hudson was picked off of second base for the second out with Charlie Edwards on first after he had reached on a fielder's choice.

 

Craig Dean then singled up the middle and then Brian McCormick ripped a base hit to left to plate Edwards for the first run of the game. The second run of the inning crossed the plate on a fielder's choice by Chanse Cooper in which everybody was safe including Dean who scored from third.

 

William Carey came back to get a run in the top of the third but the Blazers answered with an eight run third inning to blow the game open. Belhaven racked up eight hits in the inning which included a two run homer off the bat of Timmy Foster which was his sixth of the season. McCormick had a two run single and Cooper had a two run triple to lead the offensive onslaught in inning number three.

 

The Crusaders did not go quietly by responding with three runs in the fourth, a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth inning. The Blazers got single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to help keep some distance between them and William Carey. Each team had 12 hits but the Blazer defense was shaky again with three more errors after having committed seven errors in Friday night's series opener.

 

Craig Westcott got the start on the mound for the Blazers and also earned his fourth win pitching the first five innings allowing five runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts. Only three of the five runs were earned due to Belhaven errors. Offensively, McCormick had five RBI's going 2 for 2 at the plate. Cooper had a trio of RBI's with Foster adding two and Hudson contributing one.

 

Lance Brewer was charged with the loss giving up 8 of the 12 runs on eight hits in 2.2 innings of work. William Carey had four players with two hits apiece to help anchor their offense.

 

In game two it was William Carey's turn to have an eight run inning which happened to occur in the fourth inning. The Crusaders started the contest off with a two spot in the first to take a quick 2-0 lead. Brandon Chretien had a RBI groundout and Lance Brewer singled up the middle to bring in the runs.

 

Belhaven came back with four unanswered runs in the second and third to take a 4-2 lead with three innings in the books. Ian Sharpe walked in the run in the second and gave up back to back home runs to start the third. Westcott hit the first pitch he saw over the right field fence for his third home run of the year and then Hudson unloaded his fourth deep fly of 2009 over the left field fence. Dean reached on a fielder's choice and came in on a base hit by Shawn Diehl for the innings third run.

 

At that point it was 4-2 Blazers, but the whole complexion of game changed in the fourth when Carey exploded for the eight runs on seven hits. Belhaven starting pitcher Brandt Hinton was charge with five of the runs in the inning and Paul Hoffman who relieved Hinton gave up the other three. Kyle Hunt finally closed the door but the damage had been done. Hunt kept the Blazers in the game and gave the offense a chance to make up some ground on the scoreboard by firing six innings of scoreless baseball with seven strikeouts.

 

Lake Eiland got the rally going in the bottom of the fourth with his third home run of the year. Belhaven added two more tallies in the fifth on a two run homer by McCormick which was his first of the game and second on the year making the score 10-7 William Carey. It would stay that way until the ninth when McCormick went yard with two for the second time in the game bringing home two more runs cutting the Blazer deficit to one at 10-9. However, Matt Carter would get the next batter Shawn Diehl to strikeout to end the game preserving the 10-9 win for the Crusaders.

 

Brandt Hinton was saddled with his fourth loss to fall to 2-4 while Carter improved to 2-4 with the win in relief for Carey. McCormick led the Blazer offense once again with 4 RBI's in a 3 for 5 afternoon at the dish. Eiland, Westcott, Hudson, and Diehl all had RBI's as well.