Box Score
Cleveland, TN-The Belhaven baseball team opened the 2009 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round with a 5-4 victory over Indiana Tech University Tuesday afternoon in Cleveland, TN. The Blazers (41-18) got a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings and one in the ninth to get the victory against the Warriors (30-25). Indiana Tech rallied in the top of the ninth with three runs to tie the game, but a bases loaded single by Brian McCormick in the bottom of the ninth sent home the winning run.

 

With one out in the fifth, Belhaven got a base hit by Chanse Cooper off the leg of Indiana Tech starting pitcher John Paul Akers to get the offense going. Cooper then swiped second base and advanced to third on a wild throw by the catcher Elliot Pisarczyk with still only one man out in the inning. Lake Eiland then popped up for the second out and the Warriors intentionally walked Craig Westcott to put runners on the corners. Timmy Foster then stepped to the plate a delivered a clutch two out triple off the base of the center field wall to give Belhaven a 2-0 lead.

 

Indiana Tech countered with a run in the top of the sixth off Belhaven starter Kyle Hunt as Will Richards connected on his 12^th home run of the year to make it a 2-1 game. The Blazers battled back with two more runs in the sixth to extend the advantage to 4-1. McCormick started the frame with a single and courtesy runner Mark Gray made it to second on a wild throw by Akers and advanced to third base when Shawn Diehl reached base on second baseman Lance Hanmer misplayed ground ball.

 

The Warriors then waived in Zach Brown from the bullpen, who subsequently uncorked a wild pitch which allowed Gray to cross the plate and on a wild throw by Pisarczyk Diehl went to third. That set up a sacrifice fly by Cooper to chase home Diehl for Belhaven's fourth run of the game.

 

The Blazers held the 4-1 lead going into the top of the ninth and called upon closer Kyle Medley to work the ninth after Chris Bennett fired a scoreless eighth in relief of starter Kyle Hunt. Medley, who had not pitched in about of month, walked the first three batters in the inning to load the bases. Medley got Steve Dowding to strike out but gave up a run scoring single to Steve Weigle and then surrendered a two run single to Chad Geier and just like that the game was tied at 4-4.

 

The contest remained tied heading into the bottom of the ninth with Belhaven needing a run to win it. Chad Howard grounded out to start the inning, but Brent Hudson reached on a walk and Charlie Edwards delivered a double down the left line to put runners at second and third. Craig Dean was then walked intentionally which brought McCormick to the plate who ended the game with an RBI single to left field.

 

Medley was the pitcher of record and got the win to go to 1-1 on the season. Hunt started and fired the first seven innings for the Blazers allowing a run on three hits with five strikeouts. John Toschlog, who had come into the game in the sixth, took the loss and falls to 1-1 in 2009. Akers was charged with three runs, Brown was responsible for one, and Toschlog allowed the game winner.

 

Offensively for Belhaven, Foster led the team with 2 RBI's while McCormick and Cooper each collected an RBI each. Edwards and McCormick had two hits apiece to pace the Blazers in that category. Geier had two runs batted in followed by Weigle and Richards with one apiece for Indiana Tech.