Box Score JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven baseball team wrapped up day three of the Belhaven Invitational with a showdown against fourth ranked Missouri Baptist University at Smith-Wills Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Spartans came into the game having scored a combined 32 runs through the first two games this weekend. The Blazers limited them to five on Saturday, but unfortunately the bats went silent in a 5-2 defeat. The loss snapped Belhaven's streak of eight consecutive wins.

(Box Score-HTML)
"Their pitching held us in check all day and we weren't swinging the bats well up and down the lineup," said Belhaven Head Coach Hill Denson. "We hit some balls hard, but couldn't come up with a clutch hit when we needed it. Credit to Missouri Baptist, they played a great ballgame and have an outstanding team that can swing the bat."

Belhaven (8-2) dodged some early trouble through the first three innings with some timely plays by the defense. Missouri Baptist (4-3) had two hits and one batter reach on a hit by pitch in the first inning but failed to score. Starting pitcher Chris Good induced a double play ground ball to turn back the Spartans in the first.

In the second inning, a great defensive effort by centerfielder Reagan Rutledge kept Missouri Baptist off the board. Third baseman Brent Zimmerman singled up the middle and right fielder Enrique Pagan, who was on second base, was thrown out by Rutledge at the plate trying to score.

With the game still scoreless going into the fourth, the Spartans scratched together a run on an RBI groundout by catcher Erik Garcia. Missouri Baptist added to the lead in the sixth when left fielder Orlando Olivera scored on a throwing error by catcher Brayden Dykes to make it 2-0. The Spartans extended the lead to 3-0 in the seventh on an RBI single off the bat of shortstop Josh Fuentes.

The Blazers finally got something going in the seventh when first baseman Tyler Akins reached on a throwing error by Zimmerman with two outs. At that point the Blazers were still looking for that all elusive first hit and it would be Dykes who delivered it, finding the gap in left center field for an RBI double. The extra base hit broke up a no hit bid by starting pitcher David Mullins.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Belhaven pulled to within a run when relief pitcher Michael Murano balked in a run with the bases loaded. Right fielder Emilio DeSilva, who scored on the play, started the inning with a base hit to right. The Blazers found themselves in a position to tie or take the lead with runners on second and third with one out, but Murano buckled down to get the final two outs. Murano struck out Rutledge and got third baseman Gabe Wilson on a line out to second to end the inning. The Spartans tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the ninth to secure the win.

Dykes and DeSilva combined for the only two Belhaven hits on Saturday afternoon and the only RBI went to Dykes on the double. Good (2-1) pitched 6.1 innings and was tagged with his first loss of the season. Good was charged with three runs (two earned) on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Josh Rogers surrendered the other two runs during two innings of relief work.

Olivera had three hits and an RBI to lead Missouri Baptist at the plate Saturday afternoon. Fuentes followed with two hits and two RBI while second baseman Jeff Smith ended the game with two hits and two runs scored. Mullins lasted seven innings on the hill and earned his first win of the season (1-0). He gave up just one unearned run on one hit.

The Blazers will look to regroup on Tuesday afternoon when they host Mississippi College in the first Maloney Series game of the season at Smith-Wills Stadium. The first pitch is slated for 4:00 PM.