Box Score
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven baseball team came out firing on all cylinders Tuesday night in an 11-3 win at Millsaps College. Millsaps is currently ranked #1 in the latest NCAA Division III Top 25 Poll. The Blazers improve to 32-15 on the season with the victory while the Majors drop to 30-5 in 2009.

 

Belhaven got the scoring started in the first inning with a run on three hits off of Millsaps starting pitcher Steven Comeaux. Chanse Cooper reached on a walk to begin the inning, but was caught stealing for the first out. However, Lake Eiland ended up driving base hit through the left side of the infield and stole second to get into scoring position. Timmy Foster then delivered the first of his 4 RBI's on the night with a single to right center to make the score 1-0.

 

The Blazers added two runs in the top of the third when Foster blasted his team leading 13^th home run of year over the left field fence on a 2-1 pitch from Comeaux. Craig Westcott had walked with one out and came in to score on the Foster homer as Belhaven pulled out to a 3-0 lead. The Blazers then tacked on run number four in the fifth as Eiland doubled down the left field line, moved to third on a groundout by Westcott, and crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly to right center field by Foster.

 

The Majors got their first run of the game off Blazer starter Joe Patterson in the bottom of the fifth inning on Tony Malaschak's fourth home run of the season. Patterson went on to surrender a walk to Hayes Brian, who stole second and third, but was stranded on third base when Patterson struck out Josh Ordeneaux to close the door on the fifth inning.

 

The Majors rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull within a run of the Blazers at 4-3. Millsaps loaded the bases with one out on a pair of walks and an infield single. Patterson battled back to strikeout Brian for the second out, but with his pitch count at 113 Belhaven called on the bullpen to try and keep the Majors off the board. Golden Grasse came on in relief and on a passed ball by Brian McCormick the first run of the inning crossed the plate. Grasse proceeded to walk the only two batters he faced which led to the second Millsaps run of the frame.

 

With two outs and the bases still loaded, Kyle Hunt came in and got Will Hawkins to ground out to third to end the inning. The ground ball that Hunt induced may have arguably been the turning point of the game because Hawkins was hitting over .440 with 50 RBI's on the season coming into play on Tuesday night.

 

Belhaven extended their advantage to 5-3 with an unearned run in the top of the eighth as Brent Hudson got the inning going with an infield single. Charlie Edwards bunted him to second and a ground out by Dean sent him to third with two away. McCormick hit a hard shot to the third baseman Josh Ordeneaux who misplayed it off his glove allowing Hudson to cruise home for the run.

 

Hunt then worked a scoreless bottom of eighth sending the game to the top of the ninth with Belhaven owning the 5-3 lead. That's when the Blazers left no doubt about the outcome of the contest by exploding for six runs in the top of the ninth inning to take an 11-3 lead. Eiland doubled to lead the inning off and with one out Foster drew an intentional walk from relief pitcher John Michael Pemberton. Chad Howard pinch ran for Foster which allowed Belhaven to execute a double steal. Eiland swiped third base and scored on a throwing error by catcher Tyler Berry. Howard ended up making it to third base with one out and the Blazers up 6-3.

 

Howard was then chased home on a single by Edwards and with two outs Belhaven loaded the bases as Shawn Diehl made his way to the plate. Diehl laced a singled to right center which brought in Hudson and Edwards to extend the advantage to 9-3. With McCormick standing on third base Diehl stole second base and both Deihl and McCormick trotted home on a base hit to right by Cooper.

 

Kyle Medley came on to pitch the bottom of ninth inning for Belhaven and worked a scoreless frame to secure the 11-3 win. Patterson turned in another outstanding performance for the Blazers in his sixth start of the season. Patterson fired the first 6.2 innings allowing three runs on five hits while recording 10 strikeouts to get the win and go to 5-1 on the year. Comeaux suffered his first loss of the season for Millsaps tossing three innings with three earned runs on six hits.

 

Offensively, Belhaven pounded out 16 hits led by Eiland, Hudson, and Diehl who had three hits each. Foster had two hits and led the team in RBI's with four on the night. Diehl and Cooper chipped in with two RBI's apiece while Hudson added an RBI in Tuesday's game as well. The lone RBI's for Millsaps were recorded by Hunter Owen and Malaschak.