Box Score Game 1    Box Score Game 2
JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven baseball team wrapped up its three game Southern States Athletic Conference series on Saturday afternoon against the University of Mobile at Smith-Wills-Stadium. The Blazers easily took game one 12-3 in seven innings and appeared to be on their way to a victory in game two, but the Rams avoided being swept by scoring seven unanswered runs for a 7-6 come from behind win. Belhaven won the weekend series by virtue of a 2-1 win on Friday night.
 
Game One
Belhaven (28-15, 13-8 SSAC) set the direction of game one by putting runs on the board in each of the first three innings. Left fielder Dominick Francia singled down the line in left, stole second base, moved to third on a ground out by second baseman Ryne Cook, and scored on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Jason Hicks to make it 1-0 after the first frame.
 
The Blazers notched three more runs in the second thanks to an RBI triple by center fielder Reagan Rutledge, an RBI single from shortstop Josiah Richard, and a run scoring double off the bat of Francia. Then in the third inning, catcher Kyle Wheeler doubled to left and courtesy runner Daniel Gilbert scored on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Emilio DeSilva.
 
Mobile (23-15, 10-11 SSAC) bounced back with runs in the fourth and fifth before Belhaven countered with two more in the home half of the fifth inning. DeSilva and first baseman Bud Britt each had sac fly's to pick up runs batted in and extend the lead to 7-2.
 
The Blazers broke the contest open in the sixth by posting five runs on four hits in the inning while being aided by two Ram errors. Cook started the scoring with an RBI single followed by a two run base hit to center field by Hicks. Britt capped the inning with an RBI single and on the play courtesy runner Justin Crawl crossed the plate due to a fielding error by center fielder Jared Brannon.
 
Mobile then scored one more run in the top of the seventh, but it was too little too as Belhaven cruised to the 12-3 win.
 
Belhaven starting pitcher Chris Good turned in another solid performance on Saturday and in the process earned his NAIA leading 11^th win of the year. Good (11-2) tossed his sixth complete game of 2013 and held the Rams to three runs on six hits. Only two of the runs were earned due to a pair of Blazer errors.
 
Hicks paced Belhaven at the plate with three runs batted while going 1 for 2 in the box score. Francia and Cook both had two hits and one RBI each while Britt and DeSilva had two runs batted in on one hit apiece. Rutledge and Richard were also credited with one RBI. The Blazers were active on the bases by adding four more steals to their season total. Francia had two of them followed by Gilbert and DeSilva with one each.
 
Jacob Knowles started the game on the mound for Mobile and took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in 2.1 innings pitched. Knowles (3-4) walked one and struck out two in Saturday's first game. Ryan Parazine was the Rams top hitter collecting three hits and two runs scored. Brannon had two hits and scored the other Mobile run.
 
Game Two
The Blazers kept the momentum going early in game two, rushing out to a 6-0 lead after two innings. Belhaven sent 10 men to the plate in the second and scored what would be the team's only six runs of the game.
 
Britt led off the inning with his eighth home run of the season over the wall in center field and from there the Blazers continued to pile on the runs. Richard walked with the bases loaded to make it 2-0 followed by an RBI ground out off the bat of Francia. Cook lifted a sac fly to right field and then Hicks capped the scoring with a two run homer to left center.
 
Belhaven drove Mobile starting pitcher Corey Fountain from the game after two innings, but couldn't touch the bullpen. Jeffrey Price managed to keep the Blazers at bay for 4.1 innings allowing the Rams to get back in the game.
 
Mobile picked up its first run on an RBI single by Parazine in the third and added solo runs in both the fifth and sixth innings off starting pitcher Jonathan Thompson. Parazine also accounted for the Rams fifth inning run with an RBI single and an RBI groundout by pinch hitter Jacob Knowles cashed in run number three in the sixth.
 
Thompson gave way to Andrew Gunn in the seventh and the Rams continued to chip away with two more runs. First baseman Braxton Hamil drove in center fielder Austin Curtis on a ground ball to short and then Parazine homered to right to make it a 6-5 game.
 
Meanwhile, the Blazers let two scoring opportunities go by the boards in the seventh and eighth innings. They loaded the bases twice, once with only one out, but failed to score and add to the lead.
 
The missed opportunities would come back to haunt them when the Rams scored twice in the ninth to grab a 7-6 lead. Josh Rogers kept Mobile at bay in the eighth, but issued a one out walk to pinch hitter Michael Bruno followed by a two run homer off the bat of Hamil, which ended up being the game winner.
 
Belhaven had one last chance in the ninth, but couldn't muster a rally. Cook legged out an infield single to start the frame, but was doubled off of first when Hicks popped up a bunt attempt to third. Relief pitcher Cole Vaughn then got Wheeler on a ground out to second to end the game.
 
Rogers was charged with the loss for Belhaven, dropping his record to 3-2. Rogers gave up two runs on two hits with a walk and one strikeout in two innings of work. Hicks had two hits and two runs batted in for the Blazers at the plate. Rutledge also ended the game with two hits and a run scored. Richard, Cook, Britt, and Francia all contributed one run batted in apiece.
 
Josh Hollingsworth went to 2-0 on the season with the win for Mobile. Hollingsworth tossed 1.2 innings and did not allow a run or a hit. Vaughan earned his first save of the 2013 campaign with a scoreless ninth. Parazine drove in three runs on four hits followed by Hamil's three RBI on one hit. Third baseman Neil Hudson also collected three hits and run scored for the Rams.
 
Despite the loss in game two on Saturday, the Blazers were able to jump back in fourth place by a half game in the SSAC standings after Faulkner defeated Brewton-Parker in two out of three games this weekend.
 
Belhaven will be back in action on Tuesday night hosting NCAA Division I Mississippi Valley State University at Smith-Wills Stadium. The first pitch is slated for 6:00 PM.