LAGRANGE, Ga. - The Belhaven Baseball team saw its 14-game winning streak come to an end as 9th-ranked LaGrange (20-7, 8-0 CCS) took the first two of a three-game series on Thursday at Cleaveland Field. The Blazers (17-11, 9-2 CCS) fell in a 6-5 seesaw affair in the opener. A pair of 8th-inning runs lifted the hosts to a 4-2 win in Game 2.
GAME ONE
LaGrange struck first in their opening at-bat to take an early 1-0 lead. Belhaven immediately responded with a run of their own in the top of the 2nd as Preston Conlee roped an RBI double to left center.
The Panthers plated a pair in the bottom half to take a 3-1 lead before tacking on another in the 3rd on a solo home run.
The middle innings proved to be kind to the Blazers' bats. Conlee singled in Hunter Estes in the 4th to cut the lead to 4-2. Dawson Albin pushed another run across in the following inning with an RBI single to draw within a run.
Owen Abney came through with a pinch-hit RBI single through the left side in the 6th to tie the ballgame up at four. The hosts would get a run back in the home half to regain the lead heading into the late innings.
Down 5-4 in the 8th, Chase Kitchens, Kyle McLaughlin, and Matthew Charbonnet each drew back-to-back-to-back bases on balls to even the game once again. The Panthers answered in their half of the 8th as a one-out RBI single broke the tie.
The Blazers got the tying run aboard in the 9th as Dawson Albin led off with a sharply hit single, but they were unable to bring him around to extend the contest.
Belhaven outslugged LaGrange 12-9 in the hit column, but six errors doomed the Blazers in the one-run loss.
BELHAVEN PITCHERS
Harris Coleman: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 K
Will Swift (L, 1-2): 3.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 K
BELHAVEN BATTING LEADERS
Nick Lucido: 3-3, 3 R, SB
Preston Conlee: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI
Dawson Albin: 2-5, RBI
GAME TWO
The Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st after scoring on a single and an error. Belhaven cut the lead in half in the 3rd as Nathan Herron scored from second base on a failed pickoff attempt.
From that point on, the game turned into a pitcher's duel. Both starters settled in as Belhaven ace Brett Sanchez put up six scoreless frames. Fresh off his record-setting performance a week ago, Sanchez punched out six as he continues to add to his Belhaven record.
The Blazers finally broke the scoring drought in the top of the 8th as Dawson Albin lined a one-out RBI double to knot things up at 2.
The visitors answered with two of their own in their half of the 8th. Needing two runs to keep the game alive, Nathan Herron reached with one out to bring the tying run to the plate. However, a strikeout and popout ended the game in favor of the Panthers.
BELHAVEN PITCHERS
Brett Sanchez (L, 4-2): 7.1 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 6 K
Noah Whatley: 0.2 IP, 1 H
BELHAVEN HITTING LEADERS
Dawson Albin: 2-4, 2B, RBI
Nathan Herron: 2-3, R, SB, BB
The Blazers will look to salvage the final game of the series tomorrow with first pitch set for 11:30 AM CT at Cleaveland Field.
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