ABILENE, Texas - The Belhaven University Softball team finished up their American Southwest Conference road opening series against McMurry University on Saturday, March 6 and an offensive explosion in the final half of the game gave the Blazers a 12-4 game three victory to earn a series win over the War Hawks.

The Blazers were down early in the game as the War Hawks plated two runs in the second and one run in the third to take a 3-0 lead. However, the lead would not last as the Blazers tied the game with a three-run top of the fourth as Allie Gordon got the Blazers going with a lead-off walk followed by a Kennedy Carruth single. Cade Bass then changed the game with one swing of the bat as she hit her fourth home run of the season and collected three RBIs to tie the game at three apiece.

The War Hawks regained the lead with a solo run in the bottom of the inning, but the Blazers added three runs in the fifth to take the lead back and never gave it back to the War Hawks. Marlee Blackwell led off the inning with a solo home run for her first of the 2021 season, while Elizabeth Taggard followed her with a single. Cade Bass later drew a walk advancing Taggard to second, who then scored on a single by Anna McNeer while Bass later scored as Bailey Root reached on a fielder's choice giving the Blazers a 6-4 lead.

The final six runs of the game came in the sixth inning for the Blazers as Marlee Blackwell reached base on an error and Elizabeth Taggard was then hit by the pitcher. Elizabeth Platt was brought in as a pinch runner for Blackwell, while both Platt and Taggard advanced bases on a sacrifice bunt by Allie Gordon. Platt then scored on a double by Kennedy Carruth, while both Taggard and Carruth scored on a single by Cade Bass and Anna McNeer followed her by drawing a walk. Bass then scored on a single by Bailey Root, while both McNeer and Root scored on a single by Abby Trahan giving the Blazers a 12-4 lead.

The War Hawks got a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the sixth inning, but three straight outs including two strikeouts ended the game and sealed the win and series for the Blazers.

Bailey Root got the start in the circle for the Blazers and picked up her third win of the season improving to 3-1 overall. Root earned her second complete game of the season allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. The Blazers had 12 total hits throughout the game with Elizabeth Taggard, Kennedy Carruth, Cade Bass, Anna McNeer, and Bailey Root all having two hits each, while Marlee Blackwell and Abby Trahan had one hit apiece. Cade Bass also had a team leading five RBI in the game.

The Blazers improve to 9-3 overall and 5-1 in ASC play and will return to action with a doubleheader against Jackson State University on Tuesday, March 9. The games are scheduled for 3 and 5 p.m.

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