Box Score
JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven baseball team held off a late charge by Millsaps College Tuesday night at Smith-Wills Stadium, taking home a 10-6 victory in Maloney Series play. The Blazers built a 10-2 lead and held on a for a 10-6 win to sweep the three game season series with the Majors. Belhaven is also the 2013 Maloney Series Champion boasting a 5-0 record in Maloney Series games with one more to play next week at Mississippi College.

Belhaven (32-16), who is receiving votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, established an early foothold with two runs in the first and three in the second. After retiring the first two batters in the first, Millsaps starter Nathan Harrell hit third baseman Jason Hicks and catcher Kyle Wheeler to put runners on first and second. First baseman Bud Britt drove in both with a double to straight away center field to make it 2-0.

In the second inning, three consecutive one out singles loaded the bases for second baseman Ryne Cook who brought them all in on a double down the left field line. DH Daniel Gilbert, shortstop Josiah Richard, and left fielder Dominick Francia all scored on the play.

Both bullpens put zeros on the board until the bottom of the sixth when Belhaven added another run. Richard was hit by a pitch and then Francia singled putting runners on the corners. Cook then picked up his fourth RBI of the game on a sac fly to left field to make it 6-0.

Millsaps (26-9) posted its first two runs in the seventh on an RBI single by second baseman Kevin Wall followed by the second tally that crossed the plate on a double play ball hit by pinch hitter Andrew Rafferty.

The Blazers added what would be the game winning runs in the bottom of the seventh when they loaded the bases on a hit by pitch to Wheeler, a Britt single, and an intentional walk to Gilbert. Richard then singled to right where Will Elmore missed played the ball allowing it to get all the way to the wall. Richard scored all the way from home and was credited with two runs batted in with the other two crossing the plate on the error.

The Majors made things interesting in the eighth when they plated four runs to cut the gap to 10-6. Left fielder Jerrod Myers scored on a throwing error by Francia in left, first baseman Keith Shumaker crossed home on a wild pitch, followed by RBI singles off the bats of Elmore and Wall against reliever Michael Wurster. Caleb Baucum was summoned from the bullpen with one out and stopped the rally. He then closed the door in the ninth for the save in his first pitching appearance of the season.

Andrew Gunn pitched two innings in relief and was given the win running his record to 5-1 in 2013. Gunn tossed the third and fourth frames and did not allow a run while walking one and striking out one. Baucum logged 1.2 innings for his first save of the season.

Francia led the Blazers at the plate going 3 for4 with a run scored followed by Britt and Richard who each had two hits and two runs batted in. Cook finished the night with one hit and four runs batted in. Center fielder Reagan Rutledge extended his winning streak to nine games and broke Belhaven's single season stolen base record in the third inning. The steal gave him his 41st of the season. The previous mark of 40 was set by Chanse Cooper during the 2009 season.

Harrell suffered the loss for Millsaps as he falls to 2-2 this season. Harrell allowed two runs in the first inning on one hit. Wall had three hits and two RBI to guide the Majors offense.

Belhaven will be back in action on Friday night when the team opens a three game Southern States Athletic Conference series at Emmanuel College. The first pitch is slated for 5:00 PM.