JACKSON, Miss. - The Blazers baseball team concluded the Belhaven Invitational on Saturday, defeating the defending National Champion Cumberland Bulldogs by a tally of 7-6. With the thrilling win, the Green and Gold picked up their sixth win in their first seven games of the season.
"We knew coming in that this wasn't going to be an easy win for us, and Cumberland deserves a ton of credit," Head Coach Hill Denson said. "They gave us everything we could handle, but I'm glad our guys were able to keep their composure and finish it out."
Will Cockrell received the starting nod for the Blazers, holding the Bulldogs in check over the game's first five innings. The Belden, Mississippi senior scattered five hits and allowed just two runs while striking out four before turning things over to the Belhaven bullpen.
Tanner Moulder pitched a flawless sixth inning in relief before Jim Tom Copeland was hit with two earned runs in the seventh. Michael Wurster finished the frame before Cumberland tied the game at six in the top of the eighth.
When Joey Harris was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom half, Wurster suddenly became eligible for his first win of the year. After Zach Osha surrendered a run in the eighth, Chase Davidson came on in the ninth for a one-run save opportunity, but the Bulldogs refused to go quietly.
Davidson walked designated hitter Richard Carter to open the frame, and second baseman Phil Stiles tripled him home a batter later. Tyler Alford then drew the infield in and laced a hard-hit grounder to Belhaven shortstop Gabe Wilson.
Wilson elected to throw home, and Belhaven catcher Hunter Sutton applied an impressive tag to eliminate Stiles at the plate for a key first out. The Blazers then got Jarrett Plunkett to line out to left, and Cumberland brought in a courtesy runner for Alford. Nick Cole took off for second base, but Sutton fired a strike to Paul Pickerrell to end the game.
"Gabe made a good throw, and Hunter was unbelievable in the ninth inning," Denson said. "Both of them are seniors, and they came through for us in the biggest situation of the game."
Cumberland starter Jake Collier matched Cockrell pitch for pitch until he got in trouble in the home half of the fifth inning. The Blazers chased him after posting three runs to take their first lead of a back-and-forth contest, and Collier finished his day with seven strikeouts.
Nick Ford took the loss for the defending National Champions, allowing three Belhaven runs over two innings. Austin Williams and Jackson White combined to allow the final run in the eighth inning, and the Bulldogs were saddled with their third loss of the week.
Offensively, Pickerrell and Harris each contributed two base hits for the Blazers, while Harris and Emilio DeSilva each drove in a pair of runs. Belhaven failed to steal a base for the first time in 2015, electing instead to play the station-to-station game for the bulk of the night.
The Blazers return to action on Monday, when they host St. Catharine's College (Ky.) at Smith-Wills Stadium in non-conference action. First pitch is slated for 4:00 pm.
