Box Score JACKSON, Miss. – If you like pitching and defense, Smith-Wills Stadium was the place to be Friday afternoon. The Belhaven baseball team engineered a 1-0 shutout of Culver-Stockton College in game one of a three game non-conference weekend series. Four Blazer pitchers combined to blank the Wildcats, allowing just three hits while striking out seven.

(Box Score-HTML)
"It's big for our ball club to win some of these close games early in the year and know you can find a way to win a ballgame," said Belhaven Head Coach Hill Denson. "When you win a game like this it builds confidence. There are going to be a number of close games throughout the year and this will help us down the road."

Belhaven (4-1) scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the first on a one out RBI single by first baseman Tyler Akins. Leftfielder Dominick Francia reached on a single and then centerfielder Reagan Rutledge got hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Rutledge went to second when Francia was caught stealing third and scored on the Akins base hit. It proved to be the only run Belhaven would need.

Culver-Stockton (2-2) threatened with runners in scoring position in the first and fifth innings, but starting pitcher Boomer Scarborough worked out of the jam on each occasion. Scarborough tossed six innings before giving way to Austin McCann, Josh Rogers, and Tyler Akins who each fired an inning to close out the contest. Akins worked a scoreless ninth for his second save of the year.

"Boomer pitched really well for us tonight," added Denson. "He mixed his pitches really well and kept their hitters off balance all night. He had the breaking ball working well which made his fast ball much more effective. Our bullpen also did a great job tonight closing out the game to seal the win."

Scarborough (1-1) allowed only three hits in six innings while walking three and striking out six. Offensively, Akins went 1 for 3 and had the only RBI of the game in the first inning. DH Gabe Wilson had the afternoon's only extra base hit, a double to the left center field gap in the fifth. Francia picked up a single and Rutledge scored the game winning run.

For the second straight outing, pitcher Cyrus Wimberly suffered a tough luck loss for the Wildcats. Wimberly fell in a 2-0 decision last week at Bacone and despite surrendering just one run in eight innings Friday, falls to 0-2 on the season. Wimberly struck out six and limited the Blazers to six hits. Second baseman Jacob Angelo, shortstop Brock Kartheiser, and DH Cody Jacobson each had singles for Culver Stockton.

Belhaven and Culver Stockton will wrap up the weekend series on Saturday at Smith-Wills Stadium with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 PM.