Box Score MARIETTA, Georgia – The Belhaven baseball team (32-12, 14-8 SSAC) saw a six game winning streak come to a close Friday afternoon after falling to Southern States Athletic Conference opponent Southern Polytechnic State University by a score of 11-2. With the victory, the Hornets (30-14, 13-8 SSAC) extended their own streak to six in a row in the opening contest of a three-game series.
 
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Belhaven took the early lead with a run in the top of the second, but it was short lived. Southern Poly answered with four in the home half of the frame and then piled on five more in the bottom of the fifth to put the game away. The Blazers notched their second and final tally in the top of the fifth.
 
Hunter Sutton sparked the Belhaven offense with three base hits, while Reagan Rutledge, Dominick Francia, Tyler Akins, and James Peterson each contributed a multi-hit ballgame. Despite erupting for a dozen hits, the Blazers mustered just two runs against Hornet starter Matt Miller.
 
Miller (5-4) lasted eight innings on the mound, issuing one walk and one strikeout en route to his fifth win of the season. Brantley Burton hurled a flawless ninth out of the Southern Poly bullpen to finish off the Blazers.
 
The SPSU southpaw bested Belhaven's Boomer Scarborough, who surrendered seven runs on seven hits through 4.1 before turning things over to the bullpen. Ben Allison allowed four runs on five hits over the next two innings before Jim Tom Copeland and Richard Richardson combined for the final five outs.
 
Offensively, six Hornets found multiple hits, while Miller drove in a game-best three runs while hitting for himself. Darius Reese and Dalton Martinez each plated a pair, helping Southern Poly cruise to an 11-2 victory over the 11th-ranked Blazers.
 
Belhaven and Southern Poly will return to action on Saturday, when they round out the SSAC series with a doubleheader. First pitch is slated for an 11:00 AM CDT start.