Box Score
Lewiston, ID-The Belhaven baseball team upset the defending national champion Lubbock Christian University 3-2 on Saturday morning in the losers bracket of the 2010 Avista NAIA World Series at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho. It's the first time in the 54 year history of the World Series that a defending champion has been eliminated in two games. The Blazers, the number eight seed in the tournament, blasted three home runs to account for all their scoring in the contest. The win was the 44th of the season and ties the Belhaven record for most wins in a season when the team went 44-17 in 2007.

Belhaven (44-16) jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of solo leadoff home runs to open the second and third innings. Craig Dean blasted his ninth home run of the season in the second to get the Blazers on the board and in the third frame Drew Dillard connected on his seventh long ball of the year to make it a 2-0 game. Belhaven starting pitcher Chris Bennett worked his way in and out of trouble in the fourth inning when Lubbock Christian loaded the bases on three hits. Left Fielder Jordan Brewer made a couple of outstanding plays to keep at least one run from scoring and Bennett struck out Reid Chenworth to shut the door on the Chaparrals.

Lubbock Christian (46-16), seeded fifth in this year's tournament, finally got to Bennett in the sixth inning when Richard Bohlken came up with a clutch two out two run double to the gap in left center field that plated the tying runs to make it a 2-2 game. Paul Faulkenberry came in to get the final out and kept the game tied until the eighth when Belhaven catcher Derek Tortorich launched what proved to be the game winning home run over the wall in left field to push the Blazers back in front 3-2. Wade Broyles closed the door on Lubbock Christian in the eighth and ninth for his 14th save that keeps Belhaven alive in the World Series.

Bennett got the start and pitched 5.2 innings allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Faulkenberry earned the win in relief for the Blazers with 1.1 innings pitched to go to 8-2 on the season as he did not allow a run or a hit with one strikeout. Broyles struck out three in two innings of relief work to notch the save. Broyles now has 73 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched in 2010. Belhaven had five hits with three being home runs off the bats of Dean, Dillard, and Tortorich. Dean and Dillard also recorded a single in Saturday's game.

"This is history for us and we were excited about playing today," said Belhaven coach Hill Denson, who has amassed over 1,000 wins in his high school and collegiate coaching career. "Chris Bennett did a great job for us into the sixth inning. He is a kid that is up and down at times but he got it done today. It is always good if we can get to Wade Broyles (closer) in the ninth."

Hunter Scott suffered the loss in relief for Lubbock Christian as he gave up the Tortorich home run dropping his record to 10-5 in 2010. Frank Corrola started for the Chaparrals and went the first seven innings allowing two runs on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Bohlken went 2 for 4 at the plate with two runs batted in while J.J.Muse, Joe Staley, Dan Neumann, and Ross Blondin each had a hit for the Chaparrals.

Belhaven will now face Embry-Riddle on Monday morning in another elimination game at 10:30 AM. The Eagles lost to Cumberland University 9-1 in a winners bracket game on Saturday. All the play-by-play action of the Belhaven and Embry-Riddle can be heard via Stretch Internet through the Belhaven Athletics website starting with the pregame show at 10:20 AM.