AUSTIN, TEXAS - The Belhaven softball team earned a doubleheader split versus Sul Ross State University Friday afternoon at Tornado Field in Austin, Texas. The Blazers defeated the Lobos 10-4 in game one before falling 4-2 in the second contest. 

In game one, Belhaven (10-15) wasted no time taking a big lead over Sul Ross (10-17), pouring in six runs in the first inning.  

The big inning began with two outs already on the board. Makayla Reed reached on a Sul Ross fielding error, and Savannah Lyon, Cassidy Blount and Hannah Holloway followed with back-to-back-to-back walks. Taylor Surrento then singled up the middle to score Marlee Blackwell and Lyon, while Crystal Kehtel doubled to plate two more runs. Savannah Johnston hit an RBI single to right field to round out the first inning scoring. 

The Blazers tacked on a seventh run in the bottom of the second when Holloway singled to short to bring in Reed. 

Sul Ross had three runners cross home plate in the top of third on just one hit, cutting the Blazers' lead to just four.

With the score 8-4 in the the bottom of the sixth, the Blazers added two more insurance runs to give Belhaven a six-run cushion. A Blount double scored Reed from first base, and a Holloway single up the middle brought home Blount from second.

Surrento picked up the win for Belhaven, allowing just four hits while picking up her eighth complete game of the season.

As a team, the Blazers recorded at least 10 hits for the third straight game. Johnston and Holloway totaled two hits each.

The Green and Gold struggled in the batter's box in game two, tallying just four hits. The Blazers were shutout by Lobos' pitcher Marissa Garcia for the first six innings of the game before finally breaking through with two runs in seventh.

Sul Ross took an early 1-0 lead in the first, and added two more runs in the top of the fourth. The Lobos tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh to take a 4-run advantage into the bottom of the seventh. 

Lyon singled to right begin the Blazers' comeback attempt in the seventh, while Blount and Kehtel followed with back-to-back walks to give Belhaven bases loaded with no outs. Brittany Chetta brought in Blackwell from third with a sacrifice fly to center for the team's first run of the game. Mary Austin Barber then delivered an RBI single to right to make it a two-run game. But the Green and Gold's late game heroics would come to end with a groundout to the pitcher. 

Valiree Blair recorded her first complete game of the season, surrendering just two earned runs in seven innings. 

The Blazers and the Lobos will play the deciding game of the three-game series Saturday at 12 p.m. from Tornado Field. 

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