CLINTON, Miss. – The Belhaven baseball team defeated Mississippi College 15-13 in a back and forth game on Wednesday night, taking the first Cowboy Maloney Series game of the season. The Blazers have now won seven of their last eight, while the Choctaws suffered their fourth loss in as many games.
"This game ended up with a score that sort of resembled a well-played football game," Head Coach
Hill Denson said. "I'm just glad we were able to find a way to come out with the win."
The Blazers scored in each of the first four innings, carrying a 10-1 lead into the bottom half of the inning. The Choctaw offense came alive, however, and after Mississippi College batted around, the Belhaven lead stood at just a single run.
Belhaven plated two more in the top of the fifth, but the Choctaws kept firing back and tied the game at 12-12 a half inning later. Three scoreless innings followed before the Blazers manufactured three runs in the ninth. Mississippi College got one back but was unable to plate the equalizer, putting Belhaven a win away from their third straight Maloney Series championship.
In a game that proved to be a nightmare for pitching, the offenses combined for 28 runs on 32 base hits. Individually, Belhaven's biggest bat was
Adam Kowalczyk, who hit two home runs and a double at Frierson Field and ended his night with 5 RBI.
Reagan Rutledge gave the Blazers four singles and swiped four of Belhaven's 11 bags on the evening.
Choctaw shortstop Colton Johnson led the team with three base hits, but it was Garrett Odom that truly sparked the home nine. Odom came off the bench to go 2-for-2 with 4 runs driven in, aided by his three-run dinger in the fifth inning.
The Blazers used a season-high twelve pitchers in the slugfest, but the man who came away with the decision was right hander
David Hill. As the man on the mound when the Blazers took the lead for good in the ninth, Hill overcame a walk and a hit in the eighth inning to improve to 1-1 on the year.
Zach Osha was the last Belhaven arm of the near-four hour game, picking up his seventh save despite allowing a run in the final frame.
Mississippi College used five pitcher of their own, with Tyler Scholl taking the loss in relief and dropping to 0-3 overall this season. Scholl allowed three runs in his only inning of work, and the Choctaws were unable to finish their comeback bid.
The Blazers return to action on Friday, when they will host the league-leading Auburn-Montgomery Warhawks in Southern States Athletic Conference action. First pitch from Smith-Wills Stadium is slated for 4:00 pm.
