Box Score Game 1    Box Score Game 2
JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven softball team came into their final homestand needing a bold statement to pull out the top seed in the SSAC West. They took a good first step on Friday by sweeping No. 15 Spring Hill College in dramatic fashion, taking game one 3-2 and game two 5-2 in extra innings.

Spring Hill has been one of the best teams in the SSAC during the second half of the season and began the day in second place in the SSAC West—one game ahead of the Blazers. The Badgers (38-12) would be trotting out their freshman phenom on the mound in both games to try and steal a game or two from Belhaven.

Caroline Sagrera entered the day as one of the top pitchers in the country with plenty of postseason awards heading her way in a few weeks. Strapped to the chin with a full pitching arsenal, Sagrera used a combination of fastballs and off-speed pitches to send the Blazers (31-9) down on strikeouts more often than not.

For nearly 15 innings combined between the two games, Sagrera stymied the Blazers' hitters. However, as they have for much of the season the Blazers dug deep when they were down to their final chances and pulled off two impressive victories against a top-15 team.

Spring Hill began the low-scoring affair with two runs in the top of the third in game one. Belhaven starter Jessica Paris struggled with her control in the inning, hitting two batters to lead off the inning. Paris was able to force the next two batters into outs, but allowed the first hit of the game to Jade Bourgeois to bring in a run.

With runners on second and third, Paris had another pitch get away from her and it slid all the way to the backstop—scoring another run for the Badgers to make it 2-0.

Ginger Lonergan came into the game to get the final out of the inning and out of the jam in the top of the third. Lonergan would end up pitching four and a third innings in relief, while allowing only two hits and no runs during that span.

Dominant relief pitching and timely hitting would end up saving the Blazers from early-game deficits.
The Blazers wasted no opportunities in the bottom half of the third by quickly getting Lizzy Hess and Shelby Watson on base to kick off the inning. Jordan Cole advanced the runners to second and third base on a perfect sacrifice bunt.

Belhaven's hitter in the three-hole, Denee' Crawford, has enjoyed plenty of success at home in what should end up being an All-SSAC season. She stepped up to the plate with two runners on base, facing Sagrera for the second time on the game.

Crawford quickly down in the count, but battled back to a 3-2 mark before pasting a change-up over the left field wall to give the Blazers a one-run lead.

A lead that they would never relinquish.

Sagrera settled down in the later innings, but the impressive relief appearance by Lonergan kept the Badgers' powerful offense at bay. Crawford took advantage of the one mistake Sagrera made in the contest and spurred the Blazers to an important 3-2 victory in game one.

The Blazers would once again face a tiring Sagrera in the second game, but the contest started as similarly as the first did. Spring Hill's starter was sharp early on despite throwing well over 100 pitches in the first of the doubleheader and Belhaven surrendered a lead in the top of the third.

After throwing well in the final four innings of game one, Coach Kevin Griffin stayed with the hot hand in Lonergan. She blazed through the Badger lineup with no issues the first time around, but Mariha Partman stung a two-out pitch just inside the left field foul pole and over the wall.

Once again the Blazers stared at a 2-0 hole early in the game, but the Blazers kept chipping away at the young Sagrera.

Katy Adair broke up a no-hitter for Sagrera in the bottom of the fifth inning. Adair sent a 3-1 pitch over the left field wall to bring the Blazers back within a run. She also came on in relief for Lonergan after the third inning and posted the best results out of any Blazer pitcher on the day.

Belhaven went scoreless in the sixth, but the heart of the lineup came back around in the bottom of the seventh with the Blazers still down one run. Courtney Fairley led off the inning with a walk, but two quick outs only allowed Fairley to advance to second base and took the Blazers down to their final out.

Brittni Trawick earned a tense 3-2 count, but then sent an off-speed pitch just over the head of the second baseman to drive in the tying run. Trawick was thrown out trying to advance to second base and sent the game into extra innings.

Adair earned a one-two-three inning in the top of the eighth to give the Blazers a chance for the walk-off in the bottom half.

With two outs and nobody on base, Watson hit a towering drive to left-center field that caromed off the wall and back into play. The Blazers' right fielder stood on second base with a stand up double. Cole earned a walk in the next at-bat to bring up the free-swinging Crawford once again.

In a play reminiscent to the one in game one, Crawford earned a full count before smashing another pitch deep. The ball carried and carried until it found its way over the centerfield wall to effectively end the game 5-2.

It was Crawford's 11^th home run of the season and the second time she has ended a game with a walk-off homer.  She finished 3-for-6 with the two home runs and six RBI's.

Lonergan picked up the win in game one, while Adair's perfect five innings of work got her the win in game two. Adair pitched five innings without giving up a hit or walk, en route to the victory.

With the sweep of Spring Hill, Belhaven moves into a tie for first place with Auburn-Montgomery with a series against Mobile tomorrow afternoon. The Blazers swept the Rams earlier in the month.