Box Score Game 1    Box Score Game 2
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Belhaven softball team swept a Southern States Athletic Conference doubleheader at Faulkner University on Monday afternoon. The Blazers, ranked 9^th in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll, claimed a 3-0 win in game one followed by an 8-2 victory in the second game. The twin bill was originally scheduled for Saturday, but due to inclement weather this past weekend the schedule was adjusted to make sure all the games could be played.
 
Game 1
Belhaven (29-9, 15-7 SSAC) took the lead in the fifth after a slow start at the plate. Katy Adair turned on a Matt Dotson pitch and launched her third home run of the season over the left field fence for a 1-0 lead.
 
In the top of the seventh, Adair reached on an error to open the inning and scored on a double to right center off the bat of Haley Yasses. Shelby Watson cashed in pinch runner Emily Tucker on a sacrifice fly to left field. Tucker's run made it a 3-0 game in favor of the Blazers.
 
Jessica Paris and Adair combined to shutout Faulkner (19-23-1, 5-18-1 SSAC) over the course of seven innings. Paris (12-3) fired the first 6.1 frames and allowed just one hit while striking out eight for the win. Adair came in to record the final two outs for the save.
 
Watson, Adair, and Yasses led the Belhaven offense with one hit and one run batted in apiece. Lizzy Hess had the fourth Blazers hit in game one of the doubleheader.
 
Dotson pitched a complete game for the Eagles and suffered the loss, allowing three runs on four hits. Erin Byrd had the only hit for Faulkner in game one.
 
Game 2
Belhaven didn't have to wait until the fifth inning to get the offense cranked up in game two. The Blazers went right to work on the scoreboard in the second when Dominique Corona connected on her third home run of the season to left field.
 
Faulkner pulled in front with two runs in the bottom of the second when Keri Hyde drew a bases loaded walk followed by a base hit from Erin Byrd. However, starting pitcher Ginger Lonergan worked out of further trouble forcing Faulkner to leave the bases loaded.
 
The Blazers bounced back with two runs in the third to regain the lead and never looked back the rest of the way. Watson hit her seventh home run of the season to tie the game at 2-2 and the Jordan Cole followed Watson with her second homer of the season for a 3-2 Belhaven lead.
 
The Blazers tacked on two runs in the fourth on a Watson double and then Cole plated Watson with a single to left field extending the lead to 5-2. Then in the seventh, Belhaven put the game away with three more runs. Taylor Bryan doubled in Denee' Crawford and Courtney Fairly followed by an RBI double by Mandy Fuller.
 
Lonergan picked up the win in the circle to go to 5-2 on the season. Lonergan pitched six innings and allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Watson had two hits, two RBI, and two runs scored to guide the offense. Cole had two hits and two runs batted in followed by Corona with two hits and one RBI. Fairley also had a multi hit game with two singles.
 
Dotson took the loss in game two allowing three runs on three hits in 2.1 innings. Tori Hollis finished the game and was charged with the other five runs on nine hits. Hyde and Byrd had one hit and one run batted in each to lead the Eagles bats. Faulkner was outhit in game two by Belhaven 12-5.
 
Belhaven will be back in action on Friday when the team hosts Spring Hill College in an SSAC doubleheader beginning at 1:00 PM.