JACKSON, Miss. - The Belhaven baseball team will look for redemption in 2017 against their Riverside Rival, as the Green and Gold will look to take back the Maloney Series Trophy from Millsaps beginning Tuesday from Smith-Wills Stadium.
The series will be spread out on three different Tuesdays in 2017, with the first game slated for 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. On Feb. 28, the two will play at Twenty Field at Millsaps before the series wraps up on Mar. 21 at Smith-Wills.
Last season, the Blazers lost two of three to the Majors, who reclaimed the Maloney Trophy for the first time since 2012. The Blazers will look for their eighth Maloney Series victory in 2017.
Since the series emerged in 2004, the Blazers have the upper hand against the Majors, 19-17.
Last weekend for the Green and Gold, the Blazers (4-1) took two of three from McMurry at Smith-Wills Stadium. Belhaven was defeated in extra innings to McMurry, 5-4, before defeating the War Hawks 4-3 and 3-0.
Shane Brown and
Tyler Wolfe were dominant in their starts for BU. Brown posted a 7-inning complete game in the second game of the doubleheader on Friday, allowing three earned runs while fanning a career-best eight batters.
Wolfe, in his second career start, posted a complete game shutout, fanning seven batters on 90 pitches, while allowing seven hits in the Blazers 3-0 victory on Saturday.
JG Miley is off to a positive start in 2017, recording a .471 average (8-for-17) in his first five games, while scoring eight of the Blazers 31 runs. The senior transfer has two doubles and triples each and four stolen bases.
Meanwhile, the long ball has been in play at Smith-Wills early in 2017.
Terrell Hodges and
Stephen Sexton each have sent two balls over the wall, while
Will Costinett has launched one this season. Sexton's two dingers came against Berry, while Hodges' second bomb of the year was a go-ahead shot to give the Blazers the victory in game two of the doubleheader against McMurry.
For the Majors (3-5), Lee Ogletree is a key returner, leading the team in batting average (.400; 10-for-25) and has the lone home run for Millsaps in 2017.
Returners Logan Patterson and Wes Lassere each have recorded 10 hits for the Majors this season.
As a team, the Majors have a 4.83 ERA, compared to a 4.96 ERA from their opponents.
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