Box Score Game 1        Box Score Game 2
Jackson, MS-In what turned out to be a pair of low scoring games, the Belhaven baseball team swept a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader against the University of Mobile on Friday night at Smith Wills Stadium. The Blazers took game one 5-2 and escaped game two with a 2-1 victory to go to 34-15 overall and 23-8 in the GCAC. With the losses, the Rams fall to 28-21 overall and 15-15 in league play.

 

Belhaven starting pitcher Craig Westcott was dominating through the first four innings of the game allowing just two hits to the Mobile offense. Mobile's Corey Fountain was just as tough on the Blazer offense as he posted zeros on the board through the opening three frames of the contest.

 

However, Belhaven got to him for couple of runs in the bottom of the fourth to jump ahead 2-0. Chanse Cooper led off the inning by drawing a walk and advanced to second on a ground out to third base by Lake Eiland. Westcott then stepped to the plate and helped his own cause by lining a single to center field which sent home Cooper for the game's first run. Westcott alertly headed to second base on the throw home by Romeo which led to another runner being in scoring position.

 

Mark Gray came in to courtesy run and was chased home on a Timmy Foster double which plugged the gap in left center field putting the Blazers up by two runs. Fountain was then able to get Brent Hudson and Charlie Edwards to fly out to end the inning and limit the damage.

 

Mobile rallied for a run in the top of the fifth when David Cramblitt doubled to left center to start the inning and scored on a one out base hit by pinch hitter Scott Mitchell. However, much like Fountain did in the bottom of the fourth, Westcott was able to escape the big inning by striking out Nelson Curry for the final out stranding runners on second and third.

 

The Rams pulled even with Belhaven in the top of the sixth inning when Carlos Romero doubled with one out and moved to third on a passed ball by Brian McCormick. Kevin Orso followed with a hard hit ground ball to first, but the throw home wasn't in time to nab Romero at the plate and the score was tied a 2-2.

 

The game did not stay deadlocked for long as the Blazers battled back for three runs in the bottom of the sixth to retake the lead. Cooper drilled a single up the middle and a sac bunt by Eiland sent him to second base. The Rams decided to intentionally walk Westcott which put runners on first and second with one out with Foster heading to the plate.

 

Foster delivered in the clutch by hitting a rope to center field that bounced in front of Romero which took a high hop off the artificial turf and went over his head and all the way to the wall. Foster made it all the way to third and knocked in Cooper and courtesy runner Mark Gray to put Belhaven on top 4-2. Hudson came up next and cashed in pinch runner Chad Howard with a base hit through the left side of the infield extending the Blazer lead to 5-2.

 

Kyle Medley came in to pitch the top of the seventh and despite giving up a leadoff walk to Jared Baria, he battled back to get a double play off the bat of Brandon Turner and struck out Matthew Sparks to end the game. Medley was credited with his 12^th save of the year for securing the game one victory. Westcott got the win by firing the first six innings allowing two runs on five hits. Westcott struck out 10 giving him a GCAC leading 98 K's on the year. Fountain was charged with the loss for Mobile.

 

Foster had a pair of hits and three RBI's while Westcott and Hudson each had one RBI apiece to lead the Belhaven offense. Cooper also collected two hits on the night and scored two of the Blazer runs. Mitchell and Orso had the RBI's for the Rams in game one.

 

The second game of the night was a classic pitcher's duel between Belhaven's Kyle Hunt and Mobile's Nelson Curry. The first three innings of the game were scoreless with each team recording only one hit. The Rams broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning with three straight hits to begin the frame by Stephen Stork, Romero, and Orso.

 

The hit to left field by Orso plated Stork, but the Blazers caught a break when Romero hesitated before going to third after Edwards bobbled the ball in left and was thrown out before he made it safely to the bag. Hunt recovered by getting Cramblitt to fly out and followed it up with strike out of Mitchell to end the inning.

 

The Blazers got their only two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning off Curry. With one out, Eiland shot a single to center and Westcott came through in the clutch with his 10^th home run of the year deep over the center field wall to put Belhaven up 2-1. Those would prove to be the final two runs of the game as Hunt and Medley made the lead stand up the rest of the way.

 

Medley once again came on to work the ninth inning, but allowed the tying run to make it to third before getting the final out. Orso doubled into the left field corner to start the top of the ninth and it looked like he scored when Cramblitt laid down a bunt on the infield and the throw to first glanced off the Eiland's glove and down the right field line. However, the home plate umpire said Cramblitt interfered with the play by not staying in the base line heading to first and was called out.

 

Orso then had to return to second base with one down and Medley induced a ground out by Mitchell for the second out. Orso went to third base on the play, but was stranded there when Medley got Baria to fly out to right to end the game and lock up the 2-1 win. For Medley, it was his 13^th save of the season which leads the GCAC.

 

Hunt pitched the first eight innings and earned the win to improve his record to 6-1 on the season. Hunt was charged with one run on six hits and had two strikeouts. Despite a great performance, Curry suffered the loss going six innings allowing two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts.

 

Westcott had two RBI's and Eiland had two of Belhaven's five hits to pace the offense. Orso had three hits and the only RBI for Mobile in game two.