Box Score Game 1        Box Score Game 2
Hattiesburg, MS-The Belhaven baseball team wrapped up the 2009 regular season by splitting a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader at William Carey University on Saturday afternoon. The Blazers won game one 5-1, but the Crusaders were able to salvage the second game with an 11-1 victory over Belhaven giving William Carey the GCAC regular season championship.

                                   

Belhaven took 2 out of 3 games in the weekend series and conclude their 2009 regular season schedule with a 36-18 overall record and 25-10 GCAC mark. William Carey is now 32-18 overall and finished the year with a GCAC record of 28-7.

 

Game one of the afternoon was dominated by Belhaven and Blazer starting pitcher Craig Westcott. Westcott kept the Crusader hitters off balance the entire game en route to his 10^th win of the season against just three losses. Westcott had nine more strikeouts giving him 107 on the season and surrendered only an unearned run on just three hits. The 107 K's for Westcott is one shy of Belhaven's single season record.

 

The Blazer offense gave Westcott plenty of run support in the first contest and put together a four run second inning to grab an early lead. Charlie Edwards doubled down the left field line to begin the second and following a fly out by Craig Dean, Brian McCormick was hit by a pitch from Zachary Magee putting runners on first and second.

 

Shawn Diehl followed with a bunt that was misplayed by Brandon Chretien loading the bases with only one out. Chanse Cooper brought in the first run with an infield single and with the bases still loaded Lake Eiland hit a sacrifice fly into left field plating courtesy runner Mark Gray from third base. Westcott then helped his on cause by dropping a double down the right field line that chased home Diehl and Cooper to make it a 4-0 Blazer lead.

 

Belhaven tacked on their fifth run of the contest in the top of the fourth thanks to a couple of doubles to start the inning. Cooper used his speed to stretch would looked like a routine single to left into a two bagger to lead off the inning. Eiland then followed with a double down the left field line to drive in Cooper and extend Belhaven's advantage to 5-0.

 

William Carey avoided the shutout in the bottom of the sixth with an unearned run off of Westcott. Jacob Casey reached second base on a throwing error by Brent Hudson and a batter later David Trisler singled Casey in from second base. However, that's all the Crusader offense could muster against Westcott who closed out the game and secured the 5-1 win. Magee was charged with the loss for William Carey allowing all five runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings pitched.

 

Eiland had two hits and 2 RBI's to lead the Blazer offense while Cooper had two hits and an RBI followed by Westcott with one hit and a pair of runs batted in. Trisler had two hits and the only RBI for William Carey.

 

Saturday's second game was all William Carey as they put together a pair of big innings to pull away for the 11-1 win. Belhaven's only offense came in the fourth when they got a leadoff single by Eiland and a one out double by Timmy Foster to put runners at second and third. The Blazers scored then scored the first run of the contest on a sac fly by Hudson to lead 1-0.

 

The lead was short lived as William Carey got to Blazer starting pitcher Kyle Hunt in the bottom of the fourth for four runs on three hits and two errors. Jason Terrell had a two run triple, Chretien added a sac fly, and Casey doubled down the right field line to bring home the fourth run of the inning.

 

The Crusaders came back with seven more runs in the bottom of the fourth against three different Belhaven hurlers. Hunt, Chris Bennett, and Riley Galloway combined to surrender four walks and two hit batters in the inning which helped lead to the seven runs. The only two hits in the inning were an RBI single by Jose Ayala and a three run triple off the bat of Trisley. Galloway was finally able to stop the bleeding with a ground out by Shannon Steed, but by that time the damage had been done as the Crusaders now owned an 11-1 advantage.

 

William Carey pitcher Daniel Hall closed out the game and earned the victory to go to 6-2 on the season. Hall held the Belhaven offense in check allowing only one run on four hits. Meanwhile, Hunt loses for only the second time this season as his record falls to 6-2 in 2009. Hunt was charged with six runs on six hits in four innings pitched.

 

Dean had two of the four Blazer hits and Hudson had the only RBI in the second game for Belhaven. Trisler had 3 RBI's with Terrell, Chretien, and Ayala each adding two runs batted in apiece.