Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MOBILE, Ala. – The Belhaven baseball team split a doubleheader with the University of Mobile on Saturday, taking the first game 7-5 before falling in the nightcap by a 9-8 final. Belhaven now stands at 15-4 overall and 4-2 in Southern States Athletic Conference play, while the Rams are 12-8 overall and 4-5 in league play.

(Box Score-Game 1) (Box Score-Game 2)
"If you had told me coming in that we would take two of three here, I would have been ok with that," Head Coach Hill Denson said. "Everyone is beating up on everyone in our conference right now, and it will be that way all year."

Belhaven turned to 2013 All-American Chris Good in the afternoon game, but the southpaw would only throw three innings after allowing four runs on five hits. Ben Allison was the first out of the Blazer bullpen, and his lone frame on the mound was enough for him to pick up his team-best fifth victory of the season.

Offensively, seven Blazers added base hits, while Emilio DeSilva provided a key spark, going 2-4 at the plate while adding 2 RBI. Second baseman Paul Pickerrell and leftfielder Dominick Francia each added a pair of RBI and provided enough run support for a victory.

A day after handing right hander Jeffrey Price his first loss of the year, Belhaven chased starter Tucker Ward after five innings. Ward allowed all seven runs on six hits and two walks while striking out a pair en route to his second consecutive defeat.

Andrew Gunn, Austin McCann, and Josh Rogers each provided extra relief from the pen, with McCann's one run being the lone blemish of the group. Junior right hander Tyler Akins came on to close things out for his sixth save of the campaign. The Blazers were able to overcome eight issued walks to extend their winning streak to six games.

Cisco Junior College transfer Rayko Bellmas received the starting nod in Game Two, allowing two unearned runs through four innings. For the second game in a row, a Belhaven starter came out of the game an inning before he could qualify for a win.

David Hill, Zach Rowell, Richard Richardson, Austin McCann, and Will Cockrell combined for the next 3.1 innings while the offense kept the game close. Typically a strength for Belhaven, the bullpen was roughed up for five runs on five hits and five walks.

Mobile starter Jacob Knowles entered the sixth with a 3-0 lead, but the Blazer bats came alive once again. Once the dust settled, seven runs had come across the plate, and Jacob Knowles' day ended with what appeared to be the third straight loss for the Rams at the hands of their guests.

The home team had other plans, however, as Mobile found a way to scratch across four runs in the bottom half of the sixth to tie the game. When the Blazers squeezed home a run in the top of the eighth, no one at Jacobs Field thought the lead was safe.

Individually, Pickerrell continued his recent hot streak, adding another two-hit game and driving in three. Akins, Francia, and Reagan Rutledge each contributed a multi-hit game, as well, while four other Blazers recorded at least one hit.

Josh Rogers came on for the bottom of the eighth and stayed in for the duration of the game, but the Rams came away with a bases loaded walk to hand the Belhaven lefty his first loss of the year. The Blazer's conference winning streak ended at four, souring the season's first road trip.

"The downfall today was our pitchers' inability to throw strikes," Denson said. "We didn't use the bullpen properly, and it almost cost us two ballgames."

Belhaven returns to action on Monday, when they will head over to Millsaps to take on the Majors in the second Cowboy Maloney game of the year. The Blazers are 1-0 in that category and will look to regain momentum early next week.

"This trip ended in a tough way for us, and I'll take the blame for that," Denson said. "We will use a lot of pitchers next week in an effort to get ready for next weekend."