BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Belhaven Baseball team was able to hit a two-run homerun late, but was unable to finish as fourth-ranked Birmingham-Southern defeated the Blazers 10-9 in the season finale Tuesday evening at Striplin Field.
 
Belhaven started the scoring early with a two-run first inning. After Jacob Byrd started the game by reaching base on an error and a Terrell Hodges single, Adam Kowalczyk drove in the opening run on a single. During Daniel Ammirati's at bat, Trey Eschberger, at first base and Hodges, at third base, recorded a stolen base. Hodges' second run gave the Green and Gold a 2-0 advantage.
 
The Panthers (35-10) scored a run in the bottom of the first, but the Blazers got the lead back to a two-run advantage in the third with a single run. After back-to-back walks by Kowalczyk and Hodges, Ammirati grounded into a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a Panther error, which scored Hodges.
 
Birmingham-Southern responded with three runs to take their first lead of the contest, 4-3, but the Blazers added another run to tie the contest up at four. After a Tee Payne and a JG Miley groundout to move Payne over to third base, Byrd brought the catcher home on an RBI single.
 
The Panthers responded with a four spot in the bottom of the fourth to retake the lead, 8-4, but Belhaven outscored the Birmingham-Southern 5-2 in the final four innings with a three spot in the sixth to make the deficit one run at 8-7.
 
In the sixth, Payne, with two outs in the frame, coaxed a walk. Miley followed with a double to put runners at second and third. Byrd brought the runners home on an RBI single. After a steal by Byrd, Hodges brought him home on a single.
 
BSC added a run in the seventh to up the lead back to two at 9-7, but Terrell Hodges, with one swing of the bat, tied the contest at nine with a two-run homerun to left field, his seventh of the season.
 
The tie would be short lived, as the Panthers scored the go-ahead, and eventual winning run, in the bottom of the eighth.
 
Brown started for Belhaven and went three-plus innings, allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits with one walk.
 
Hodges finished the contest 3-for-4 with the home run, two RBIs and three runs scored and three stolen bases, finishing with 30 steals on the season.
 
The Blazers, in their first season in NCAA Division III and the American Southwest Conference, finish the regular season with a 20-18 record and a 10-11 mark in ASC play.