Box Score
Jackson, MS-The Belhaven baseball team scored the first four runs of the game, but watched as Delta State University rallied to score five unanswered runs in the fourth and sixth innings to pull out a 5-4 win over the Blazers Tuesday night at Smith-Wills Stadium. Belhaven scored all of their runs off Statesman starter Josh Branstetter, but could not crack the scoreboard against the Delta State bullpen.

The Belhaven (34-12) bats came to life in the bottom of the first inning against Branstetter scoring three times on five hits. Drew Dillard got things rolling on a base hit to left and with one out Lake Eiland singled through the left side of the infield putting runners on first and second. Timmy Foster brought in the game's first run on a base hit up the middle followed by two out run scoring singles by Paul Moreno and Derek Tortorich.

The Blazers made it a 4-0 contest with an unearned run in the bottom of the second. Shawn Diehl reached first to open the frame on a fielding error by second baseman Chase Blanchard and eventually came in to score on a Jimmy Gilford single to left. The inning had the potential to produce more runs, but a double play off the bat of Foster ended the inning and got Branstetter off the hook.

Neither team scored again until the top of the fourth when Delta State (32-13) struck for three runs off Belhaven starting pitcher Chris Bennett. Josh Gordon led off with a home run over the left center field fence which was eighth of the season. Will McGinnis brought in the Statesmen second run on a triple down the right field line and Patrick Taylor capped the scoring with an RBI ground out to second that chased home McGinnis.

Delta State took the advantage in the top of the sixth off Blazer relief pitcher Golden Grasse. Grasse walked Michael Vinson to start the inning and Cade Hoggard doubled in Vinson to knot the score at 4-4. Hoggard moved to third base on a McGinnis groundout and came home on a fielder's choice by Taylor. Belhaven had brought the infield in to try and cut off the run, but Eiland's throw home wasn't in time to nab Hoggard at the plate. Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Blazers had the tying run at second base with two outs, but Toby Easterly got Brandon Benton on a fly out to deep left center ending the game and giving the Statesmen a 5-4 win.

Grasse (1-2) suffered the loss on the mound allowing two runs on one hit in one inning of work for Belhaven. Bennett pitched well in the start tossing the first five innings with three runs on four hits given up. Eiland went 3 for 4 at the plate with one run scored while Tortorich and Dillard each had a pair of hits on the night. Gilford, Foster, Moreno, and Tortorich each had an RBI. The Blazers out hit Delta State 12-6, but none of the hits for Belhaven went for extra bases.

Jordan Moore (3-0) pitched well in relief for Delta State and earned the win by throwing 3.1 innings with just two hits allowed. Moore walked three and struck out two. Easterly picked up his second save of the year getting Benton for the final out in the ninth. Gordon went 2 for 4 at the plate for the Statesmen with an RBI on his eighth home run of the season. Taylor did not have a base hit although he led the team in runs batted in with two.

Belhaven, ranked 10th in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll, will be back in action on Friday afternoon when they open a three game Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Series against William Carey University at Smith-Wills Stadium. The first pitch of Friday's doubleheader is slated for 4:00 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 3:45 PM.