Box Score JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven baseball team improved to 12-3 on the season Tuesday afternoon with a 5-1 victory over Talladega College. The Tornadoes dropped to 7-8 in the first of a two game series at Smith-Wills Stadium.

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"We put it together against a really good ball club tonight," Head Coach Hill Denson said. "Player for player, they're one of the better teams we have seen all year."

First baseman Tyler Akins got the Blazers on the scoreboard in the first inning, giving the home nine the first lead of the ballgame. The senior finished his day with two hits and 3 RBI, while Emilio DeSilva added a multi-hit game of his own and scored twice. Akins' first-inning double and DeSilva's triple in the seventh were the only extra base hits of the game for Belhaven.

Five other Blazers added base hits, but second baseman Paul Pickerrell was credited with Belhaven's only other RBI. The bats provided plenty of support for starting pitcher Ben Allison, who hurled a no-hitter into the fifth inning.

Kameron Mizzell doubled to left with one out, ending the no-hit bid for Allison, but Belhaven's right hander regained composure quickly. When his evening ended after six innings, he had allowed just two hits and struck out five Tornado hitters en route to his fourth consecutive victory.

"He is always ready and did a great job for us today," Denson said. "We hated for the bullpen to mess up the shutout, but we know we can count on Ben."

Zach Rowell fired a scoreless seventh inning despite allowing two hits before Justin Atkinson gave up the lone run of the game from the Blazer pen. Freshman Richard Richardson threw a perfect eighth before left hander Josh Rogers finished the game with a scoreless ninth inning.

Talladega's Bryan Lopez was hit with his fourth straight loss to open the year, allowing four runs on seven hits while walking four and fanning three. Left fielder Will Thompson went 2-3 at the plate, while third baseman Austin Drummonds drove in the team's lone run.

Belhaven and Talladega will play the latter half of their season series on Wednesday at Smith-Wills Stadium. First pitch is slated for 4:00 pm.

"It will be the same type of ballgame against a good team," Denson said. "We will send one of the best arms on our club to the mound in Will Cockrell, and we're hoping he throws a lot of strikes."