Game 1 Box     Game 2 Box
JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven softball team continued their stellar season with a two-game split with the Warhawks of Auburn-Montgomery. AUM held off a late rally from the Blazers in game one, winning 5-3, before Belhaven's offense came alive in a 6-1 win in game two.
 
For opposing pitchers, finding a hole in the Belhaven lineup has been quite a task in the first half of the season. Though, for six innings Warhawk's starter Cassie Daniels had a stranglehold on the Blazers' electric offense.
 
The Blazers (21-5) had outscored opponents 132-42 heading into the matchup with the sixth-ranked Warhawks (26-5), but could only put together three hits and one run during their first six innings at the plate.
 
After Katy Adair surrendered one run in the top of the third, Belhaven responded to tie up the game in the bottom half of the stanza. Shelby Watson led the inning off with a walk, but soon came around to score on an RBI-double off the centerfield wall by Denee' Crawford.
 
Crawford's long double was only the start of an outstanding day at the plate.
 
The Warhawks had several opportunities to reclaim the lead in the fourth inning, forcing Adair out of the game with a few early hits. However, reliever Ginger Lonergan settled into a groove to get the Blazers out of a jam.
 
Auburn-Montgomery threatened again in the fifth inning, but this time they connected on a pair of long balls. With one out in the inning Katie Spain knocked a double off the right-center wall and first baseman Kayla Hale brought both of them in with the first home run of the game.
 
The Warhawks extended their lead to 5-1 only three batters later when catcher Lauren Shaw added a two-run bomb of her own.
 
Following the second home run of the inning, Adair re-entered into the contest on the mound and held the Warhawks' bats silent for the remainder of the game.
 
Belhaven's offense awoke in the bottom of the seventh, quickly loading the bases with nobody out in the inning. Jordan Cole kicked off the inning by getting hit by a pitch then Watson reached on a throwing error by the third baseman. Crawford earned a walk to set up a big at-bat for Adair.
 
The tall pitcher connected on a pitch from relief pitcher Hale and sent the ball shooting up the middle of the field for an RBI single. Belhaven now trailed 5-2 with the bases still loaded and no one out in the final stanza.
 
With Hale failing to record an out, Daniels came back into the game to get the Warhawks out of the mess. She walked the first batter she faced in the inning, Dominique Corona, forcing in another run to make it a two-run game.
 
She was able to record outs on the next three Belhaven batters to eliminate the Blazers' chances at a comeback victory.
 
Belhaven got the party started early in the nightcap with the first three hitters reaching base in the bottom of the first. Watson legged out an infield single to short before scoring on the next play.
 
 Cole laid down a perfect bunt in front of the catcher and tried to advance to second on the errant throw by Shaw. However the Warhawks' right fielder played the wild throw perfectly and caught Cole in a pickle between first and second.
 
While the infielders were paying attention to Cole's back and forth, Watson snuck home and was safe underneath the late throw. Cole was able to advance to second on the throw towards home.
 
She did not stay at second base long as Crawford pummeled the first pitch of her at-bat over the left-center wall.
 
After only three batters, the Blazers were staring at a 3-0 lead.
 
AUM starter Taylor Powell was able to get the next two batters out, but Courtney Fairley finished off another mistake by the pitcher. Fairley took a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall to put the Blazers up 4-0 after only one inning of play.
 
The Warhawks would get a run back in the fourth inning on a solo homerun by Haley Johnson, but it would be the final time they would threaten to score.
 
Katie Sanders knocked in a run in the fifth inning during her first at-bat of the season after missing time due to injury, making it 5-1. Crawford added her second home run of the game in the sixth to cap off the scoring for either team.
 
Jessica Paris went seven strong innings, giving up only five hits while striking out nine batters. She improves to 8-1 on the year for the Blazers.
 
Belhaven is back in action tomorrow with a home doubleheader against Faulkner. It is the first meeting between the two teams on the season.