Box Score
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven baseball team shook off Tuesday's tough loss to Lambuth and got back on track with a convincing 13-0 victory over East Texas Baptist University on Thursday night at Smith Wills Stadium. The Blazers improve to 31-15 on the season while the Tigers fall to 16-19 in 2009.

                                            

Craig Westcott started the game on the mound for Belhaven and cruised through the top half of the first inning recording two of his seven strikeouts. The Blazer offense got to work quickly in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs off Tiger starter Chase Willard. Chanse Cooper led off with a single to center and Lake Eiland roped a double to deep left center scoring Cooper all the way from first base. Timmy Foster doubled home Eiland with a shot down the left field line to make the score 2-0.

 

Belhaven kept the pressure on in the second with another run which scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Eiland. Brain McCormick reached base on a one out walk and courtesy runner Mark Gray stole second and moved to third on an infield single by Shawn Diehl. Gray crossed the plate on the fielder's choice to push the Blazer lead to 3-0.

 

In the bottom of the third, Brent Hudson got things rolling with a double to left field off relief pitcher Matt Schimpf. With one out, Craig Dean singled to right and the ball got by Ryan Yezak and went all the way to the wall allowing Hudson and Dean to score. The Blazers picked up two more runs in the fourth with one coming on a steal of home by Cooper which was his 32^nd of the year. Gray, who had swiped second on the same play, was sent home on a base hit to center by Hudson extending the lead to 7-0.

 

Belhaven put the game away in the bottom of the fifth with six more runs on five hits. Dean doubled to right center and McCormick promptly drove him home with a two bagger down the left field line. With one out and courtesy runner Mark Gray at third, Eiland collected his third RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to right field.

 

The Blazers then loaded the bases with two outs and Hudson cleared them with a triple off the wall in left center as Cooper, Howard, and Foster all came in to score. Charlie Edwards capped the inning off with a base hit to left as Hudson trotted home for the 13^th Belhaven run.

 

Westcott slammed the door on the East Texas Baptist offense to put the run rule in effect after the top half of the seventh inning. For Westcott, it was eighth win of the season as he improves to 8-3 in 2009. Westcott, who was leading the GCAC in strikeouts going into Thursday's game, now has 88 after recording seven more K's in the contest. Chase Willard who started and pitched the first two innings took the loss for the Tigers and falls to 3-3 on the season.

 

Offensively, Brent Hudson had a big night at the plate for the Bazers with three hits and four RBI's. Lake Eiland knocked in three runs while Foster, Edwards, and McCormick each chipped in with an RBI apiece. Cooper and Dean also had multi hit games with three hits and two hits respectively. The only offense for the Tigers was generated on base hits from Matt Hale and Jermey Phillips.