Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Belhaven baseball team dropped game one of a three game Southern States Athletic Conference series at Auburn University-Montgomery Thursday night 9-3. The Blazers, ranked 24^th in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, jumped out to an early 3-0 lead that quickly evaporated as the night went on. The Warhawks scored nine unanswered starting in the fifth to pull away for the win.
 
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Belhaven (37-16, 16-12 SSAC) struck for two runs in the first with the aid of a hit and one costly Warhawk error. Reagan Rutledge led off with a walk and then scored on an errant throw by pitcher Daniel Farrar in an attempt to throw out Emilio DeSilva on a sacrifice bunt. Paul Pickerrell then cashed in DeSilva from third on a base hit to right field.
 
Leading 2-0, the Blazers added what would be their third and final run of the night in the second inning. Gabe Wilson doubled to left center to get things rolling and crossed the plate on a Josiah Richard single to right field. Unfortunately, that would be the extent of Belhaven's offense the rest of the way. Richard Nason entered the game for the Warhawks with one out in the second and shutout the Blazers over the final 7.2 innings.
 
Auburn-Montgomery (26-22, 13-15 SSAC) broke through against Tyler Akins in the fifth and scored four times to pull in front. Trevor Sprowl delivered the key hit of the night, a three run double to center field. He later crossed the plate on a wild pitch to give the Warhawks the lead. AUM went on to add four in the sixth and one in the seventh to put the contest out of reach.
 
Akins (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season on the mound, allowing four runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in five innings on the hill. Richard went 2 for 3 at the plate and had one of the two Belhaven runs batted in. Pickerrell picked up the other RBI thanks to a base hit in three trips to the plate. Wilson and DeSilva each had a hit and one run scored.
 
Nason ran his record to 6-6 on the season with a solid performance out of the bullpen. Nason worked 7.2 innings of scoreless baseball, limiting the Blazers to two hits while striking out six. Sprowl had two hits and four runs batted in to pace the Warkawk offense. Brandon Pooler, Lance Wilson and PJ Leto each chipped in with two hits and an RBI. AUM outslugged the Blazers 13-5 on Thursday night.
 
Belhaven will look to regroup on Friday in the final two games of the series and regular season. The Blazers find themselves in a three way tie for fourth place in the SSAC standings with Martin Methodist and William Carey. In order to have a chance at an outright fourth place finish, Belhaven needs a pair of wins.
 
The first pitch of game one is slated for 1:00 PM.