Box Score Game 1    Box Score Game 2
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven baseball team opened their four game Gulf Coast Athletic Conference series with LSU-Shreveport at Smith-Wills Stadium on Friday night by splitting a doubleheader with the Pilots. LSUS won the first game 11-5, but the Blazers battled back to take game two by a final of 3-2 and maintain their four game lead over the Pilots in the GCAC standings. William Carey split a doubleheader at Spring Hill on Friday and remains three games behind the Blazers in the league standings.

Game One
Belhaven (26-7, 17-3 GCAC) was the visiting team in the scorebook for game one since it was a makeup game from the snowed out series at LSUS back in February. The game remained scoreless through the first two innings until the Blazers got to Pilot starting pitcher John James with a pair of runs in the top of the third. With one out, Drew Dillard singled to center and Lake Eiland followed with a double to center field. Dillard scored on a fielding error by Brandon Bravata and Belhaven found themselves ahead 1-0. Following a Jimmy Gilford fly out to right field, Timmy Foster came through with a RBI double to left center to extend the edge to 2-0.

Unfortunately, LSU-Shreveport (21-8, 13-7 GCAC) put together a five run inning in their half of the third to take control of the game. Andrew Brouillette doubled home a run, Kevin Smith knocked in two runs on a double to center field, and Curtis Beaudoin capped the inning with a two run double to right centerfield giving the Pilots a 5-2 lead. LSUS continued to add to their advantage in the fourth scoring three more times to take command of the contest. Brouillette singled to right plating the first run followed by a Smith sacrifice fly to center field which accounted for the innings second run. Courtesy runner David Bradley made it 8-2 when he came in on a wild pitch by Andy Kuehn.

LSU-Shreveport tacked on a single run in the fifth and plated two more in the sixth before Belhaven rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh. Craig Dean, Derek Tortorich, and Lake Eiland all had RBI singles in the inning, but it wasn't enough to catch the Pilots who went on for the 11-5 victory in game one.

Paul Faulkenberry suffered his first loss of the season allowing eight runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings. He walked three and struck out four as his record falls to 4-1. Andy Kuehn pitched 2.1 innings in relief and was charged with three on five hits. Eiland led the Belhaven offense going 3 for 4 at the plate with a run batted in. Foster was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

John James got the win and remains unbeaten this season at 6-0 after tossing 6.1 innings with 10 hits and five runs allowed. James did not walk a batter and struck out seven en route to the win. Benjamin Suit went two thirds of an inning to close out the game. Smith had two hits and 4 RBI's to pace the LSUS offense in game one.

Game Two
The second game wound up being a pitcher's duel as Justin Ennis and Brandt Hinton brought their A games to the ballpark. The Pilots were the first to score getting a run in the top of the third. Brouillette chased home Bravata on a sacrifice fly after Bravata reached third base on a throwing error by Foster. Belhaven evened things up at 1-1 in the fourth inning on a sac fly off the bat of Brandon Benton. Eiland walked to begin the inning and with one out went to third base on a double by Foster down the right field line eventually scoring on Benton's fly ball.

The game stayed tied until the bottom of the seventh as Ennis and Hinton kept the high powered offenses at bay. The Blazers finally pulled ahead 2-1 with a run in the bottom of the seventh after the first two batter were retired. Jordan Brewer grounded out to the mound to open the inning and Tortorich was thrown out at second base trying to stretch a single into a double. However, Dean doubled to left keeping the inning alive for Shawn Diehl who plugged the gap in right center field for an RBI double that sent home Dean for the go ahead run.

Hinton remained in the game through the eighth inning and gave way to closer Wade Broyles in the ninth with Belhaven maintaining up 2-1. Broyles struck out Chase Wentz and got Beaudoin to ground out to second base for the second out. Broyles then had Shawn Moy down in the count with two strikes, but eventually hit him on a 2-2 pitch extending the inning. Moy proceeded to steal second base and scored the tying run on a base hit by Stephen Hobbins that went just past the glove of Diehl at short.

Belhaven had some two out magic of their own in the bottom of the ninth plating the game winner after the first two batters were retired in the frame. Tortorich popped out to shortstop followed by a strikeout of Dean and at that point it looked like the game would be headed for extra innings. However, Diehl kept the ninth alive with a single up the middle and Dillard legged out an infield single setting the stage for Eiland's game winning single to left field. Morgan nearly threw out Diehl at the plate, but he slid in just ahead of the tag by Brouillette giving Belhaven the 3-2 win.

Hinton had an outstanding performance on the mound for the Blazers going the first eight innings with only one unearned run allowed on four hits. Hinton walked two and struck out six in the no decision. Broyles ended up getting the win allowing a run on one hit with two strikeouts improving his record to 2-0. Diehl was 3 for 4 at the plate with an RBI while Eiland collected a pair of hits and had one run batted in. Dean also tallied two hits and Benton was one for two on the night accounting for the Blazers other RBI.

Ennis pitched the first 6.2 innings and gave up two runs on seven hits with a couple of walks and five strikeouts. Turner Brasher was saddled with the loss as he pitched two innings with a run on four hits allowed. Brouillette was 2 for 3 with an RBI at the plate for LSUS in game two.

Belhaven will wrap up their four game Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Series against LSU-Shreveport on Saturday afternoon at Smith-Wills Stadium. The first pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 1:00 PM and all the live play-by-play action can be heard via Stretch internet through the Belhaven Athletics website beginning with the pregame show at 12:45 PM.