Box Score
JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven baseball team turned in one of its best performances of the 2013 season on Tuesday afternoon, defeating 22nd ranked and previously unbeaten Freed-Hardeman University (TN) 5-2 at Smith-Wills Stadium.

The Blazers used nine pitchers to shutdown one of the top offenses in the NAIA coming into Tuesday's contest. The Lions came in hitting .334 and owned the nations eighth best slugging percentage at .493. On top of that, Freed-Hardeman was averaging nearly eight runs per game.

Jonathan Thompson, Andrew Gunn, and Drew Broyles pitched the first three innings and held the Lions at bay, allowing the Belhaven offense time to heat up. The Blazers did just that in the bottom of the third, plating two runs off Greg Young.

Shortstop Josiah Richard and center fielder Reagan Rutledge started the inning with back to back singles followed by a sac bunt from right fielder Emilio DeSilva that put runners on second and third. Third baseman Jason Hicks chased home Richard on an RBI single and then Rutledge came home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

Freed-Hardeman (12-1-1) scratched together a run in the when first baseman Joe Mike doubled down the left field line and crossed the plate on an RBI single off the bat of catcher Jake Todd.

Belhaven (11-8) countered quickly in the bottom of the fifth with three runs to build a 5-1 edge. Hicks collected his second RBI single of the game when he threaded the ball through the left side of the infield plating DeSilva from third base. The Blazers other two runs were from wild pitches by Young allowing Hicks and courtesy runner Dominick Francia to cross the plate.

The Lions got back on the board once more in the top off the seventh when Garrett Ferguson and Todd reached on back to back one out singles. Shortstop Lincoln Lakoff drove in Ferguson to cut the Belhaven advantage to 5-2. However, it would prove to be the final tally of the night for Freed-Hardeman as Austin McCann and Robert Marzoni shut down the Lions bats in the eighth and ninth innings.

Hicks led Belhaven at the plate collecting three hits and two runs batted in. Rutledge, DeSilva, Joshua Bouldin, Ryne Cook, Majer Entabi, and Richard had one hit apiece. The Blazers swiped seven bases with Hicks picking up three of them. Rutledge added his 20th stolen base of the season and came into the game as the NAIA's most prolific base stealer.

Broyles (1-0), a freshman from Madison Central High School, picked up his first collegiate victory logging a scoreless third inning. Marzoni notched his fourth save of the 2013 campaign thanks to a scoreless ninth frame.

Ferguson led Freed-Hardeman with three hits followed by Todd with two hits and one run batted. Mike's double was the only extra base hit for either team. Both sides finished the night with nine total hits.

Young (0-1) pitched 4.2 innings for the Lions and was charged with the loss. Young allowed all five runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts.

Belhaven will head back into Southern States Athletic Conference competition this weekend when the team hosts third ranked Lee University (TN) at Smith-Wills Stadium. Game one of the three game series is scheduled for Friday at 6:00 PM.