Box Score Game 1        Box Score Game 2
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven softball team set a new record for most wins in a season by splitting a doubleheader with Spring Hill College on Thursday afternoon. The Lady Blazers fell in game one by a final of 4-0 but came back strong in the second game of the day to take an 8-1 victory. Belhaven is now 34-15 overall and 4-6 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. The Lady Badgers are 15-26 and also own a 4-6 GCAC mark. Belhaven, Spring Hill, and Mobile are all locked in a three way tie for second place in the conference standings while William Carey has clinched the top spot with an 8-2 record.

 

This season marks the fourth consecutive year that Belhaven has won at least 30 games. The 2009 Lady Blazers have three players who are among the nation's best in various categories. Mallory Meadows is second in the country with 16 home runs, is in the top ten in batting average, slugging percentage, and RBI's. Heather Pace leads the nation in doubles with 24 while Britney Webb paces the country in stolen bases with 52, and is first in runs scored with 70.

 

The Lady Blazers struggled to find their game in the opening contest of the day generating only three hits compared to 13 by the Lady Badgers. Belhaven starting pitcher Salina Cervantes did a nice job of keeping the score close, but Lauren Crane stated the game for Spring Hill had the Lady Blazers off balance the entire afternoon.

 

Spring Hill put the first two runs on the board in the second inning on four base hits. Lindsey Taylor had the first run scoring hit as she singled down the right field line to drive in Jessica Edgar. Monica Zeringue followed with a single through the left side of the infield plating Samantha Brooks to make it a 2-0 ballgame in favor of Spring Hill.

 

The Lady Badgers then got single runs in the top of the fourth and fifth innings to cap off the scoring in game one. Belhaven had a costly error in the fourth which kept the inning alive for Jessica Erickson who delivered a single to left sending home Zeringue. In the seventh, Erickson connected on a 1-1 pitch from Cervantes and drilled a solo home run over the left field fence. Unfortunately, the Lady Blazers were unable to mount a rally in the bottom of the seventh as Spring Hill went on to take the victory.

 

Britney Webb, Tiffany Ansley, and Salina Cervantes each had hits for Belhaven while Erickson led the Lady Badger offense with three hits and two RBI's. Cervantes took the loss which drops her record to 16-8 and Crane gets the win to go to 5-4 on the year for Spring Hill.

 

Belhaven picked it up offensively in game two and put together eight runs on seven hits to take the victory. Spring Hill also had four very costly errors with three of them coming in a seven run second inning by Belhaven. The Lady Blazers got their first score in the bottom of the first on the aid of just one hit. Webb singled to center, stole second base, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jessica Eggold. Heather Pace then hit a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Webb and give the Lady Blazers a 1-0 lead.

 

With one out, Cervantes reached base on Nichol Struble's misplayed grounder which allowed the first base runner of the inning. Chelsea Randle then followed with a single to right putting runners on first and second. Following Randle's single, Clarissa Williams, who pinch ran for Cervantes was forced out at third on a fielder's choice by Britney Pace for the second out of the frame. At that point, the inning should have been over but to Belhaven's credit they took advantage of the extra out.

 

Kayla Maldonado drew a walk to load the bases and Webb came through with a clutch single to center to drive in Randle and Pace with Maldonado going to third and Webb advancing to second on the throw home. Eggold proceeded to step to the plate and find the hole between third and short for a base hit which cashed in Maldonado and Webb to push the Lady Blazer advantage to 5-0.

 

Samantha Brooks came on in relief of starting pitcher Brittany Abate and walked the first two batters she faced in Heather Pace and Mallory Meadows. The Lady Badgers then committed another error, this time on a wild throw by Monica Zeringue on a ground ball by Ansley which went wide of first base and into foul territory allowing all three runners on base to score.

 

With an 8-0 lead, Belhaven starting pitcher Ashley Mottola was able cruise through the final five innings and lock down the win. Spring Hill avoided a run rule in the top of the fifth with their only run on a double by Brooks, a sac bunt by pinch hitter Jordan Tatum sending Brooks to third and a sac fly off the bat of Lindsey Taylor which plated Brooks.

 

The win for Mottola improves her record to 12-6 as she pitched all seven innings allowing seven hits and one run while recording two strikeouts. Abate was charged with the loss and falls to 2-11 in 2009. Abate worked the first 1.2 innings giving up six of the eight runs on four hits. Five of the six runs to Abate were unearned.

 

Offensively, Webb and Eggold led the way with two RBI's followed by Heather Pace with one RBI. Webb and Randle had two hits while Eggold, Ansley, and Cervantes had one hit apiece. Zeringue had two hits to lead the offense for Spring Hill.