HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Belhaven baseball team salvaged an SSAC doubleheader split with William Carey on Thursday, falling 14-0 before taking the nightcap 10-4. The Blazers now stand at 33-21 this season, including an 11-17 mark in league play.
 
The first game saw the Crusader offense score in four of their six trips to the plate, including a big seven-run fourth that broke the game open. William Carey's shutout in the opener marked the first time in 58 games Belhaven has failed to score.
 
Five Blazers contributed a hit in Thursday's first game, with Hamilton Harper and Dane Gecina each lining a double. Starting pitcher Ben Allison pitched well through three innings, but the fourth-inning floodgates proved to be the end of his evening.
 
Allison dropped to 7-4 on the season after allowing six earned runs and pitching into the fourth inning before turning things over to the bullpen. Each reliever that entered the game surrendered at least a run, giving Belhaven little relief.
 
For the Crusaders, Gavin Culpepper improved to 8-2 after holding the Blazers off the scoreboard for five innings and striking out three. Jake Chambliss tossed the final two innings for the home nine, facing just one over the minimum.
 
The nightcap proved to be a much different story for both clubs, as the Blazers followed a five-run first with a five-run second to take a lead that held up as plenty of run support. The Crusaders managed a run in the home first and three in the eighth but couldn't hold off the doubleheader split.
 
Stephen Solomon turned in a strong starting performance, striking out eight William Carey hitters and giving up just one run over seven innings. The bullpen stumbled again until Zach Osha retired the side in order in the ninth, throwing nine strikes in as many pitches to give Belhaven the win.
 
Larson Barkurn took the loss after allowing eight Belhaven runs over 1.1 innings, but Chris Miller gave the Crusaders 4.2 of shutout baseball in relief. William Carey's offense ran out of opportunities, however, and the home team suffered their first loss of the series against their Western Division rivals.
 
Offensively, the Blazers spread the wealth around in the nightcap defeat of the Crusaders. Emilio DeSilva, Trey Eschberger, Adam Kowalczyk, and Hunter Sutton combined to go 11-for-16 with two doubles, six RBI and six runs scored.
 
The Carey offense was paced by Tyler James, Tyler Richardson, and Alex Buechler, who each found three hits. The home team finished the night with 14 hits and 13 stranded baserunners, making it difficult for the Blazers despite the convincing victory.
 
Belhaven and William Carey are set to return to action on Friday, when they will wrap up their respective regular seasons. First pitch from Milton Wheeler Field is slated for 2:00 pm.