PEARL, Miss. - Belhaven Baseball completed a three-game series sweep of East Texas Baptist on Saturday at Trustmark Park, taking both ends of a doubleheader by scores of 3-1 and 10-0. The Blazers outscored the Tigers 19-4 over the weekend to improve to 4-0 on the season.    

Belhaven's pitching staff was outstanding across the three-game set, allowing just four total runs. Burton, Staten, and Smith combined for 15 innings of strong starting pitching, while the bullpen trio of Rivere, Corona, Robinson, and others consistently worked out of jams to protect leads.

GAME ONE: Belhaven 3, East Texas Baptist 1
In a tight, seven-inning battle, the Blazers broke through in the middle innings and leaned on their bullpen to close it out.

After three scoreless frames, Belhaven struck first in the bottom of the fourth. JD Weed singled to left center and moved into scoring position. With runners on the corners, Blake McCarthy delivered an RBI single to left, plating Weed for the game's first run.

The Blazers added another in the fifth. Parker Ryan worked a walk, stole second, and moved to third on a groundout. Weed came through again with an RBI single to left, extending the lead to 2-0.

East Texas Baptist threatened in the sixth, putting two aboard before Connor Massimini lifted a sacrifice fly to bring the Tigers within 2-1. With the tying run on base, Sage Rivere entered and halted the rally, retiring the next hitter to keep Belhaven in front.

The Blazers answered immediately in the bottom half. McCarthy reached and advanced into scoring position before Owen Abney lined a single to center to drive him in, pushing the lead to 3-1.

From there, Rivere shut the door in the seventh, retiring the side in order to secure the save.

On the mound, Gunner Staten was dominant, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out five. Trey Flettrich bridged to Rivere, who closed it out for his first save of the year.

Weed finished 2-for-3 with two RBI in the opener, continuing his strong series at the plate.

GAME TWO: Belhaven 10, East Texas Baptist 0
The Blazers' offense erupted in the nightcap, using a five-run second inning to seize control early.

After a scoreless first, Belhaven sent 10 batters to the plate in the second. Jake McCann doubled down the right field line to start the rally, and Austin Canale followed with a bunt single. Chess  Parker drove in the first run with an RBI single before Braydon Evans moved runners with a groundout.

Weed added an RBI single, and Nick Thornton followed with another run-scoring knock. McCarthy contributed with an RBI fielder's choice, and Weed later scored on a wild pitch to cap the five-run frame and give the Blazers a 5-0 advantage.

Belhaven continued to apply pressure in the fourth. Weed singled again and eventually came home on an RBI single by Abney to make it 6-0.

The fifth inning added more separation. After consecutive singles and a hit batter loaded the bases, Shawn Mitchell-Harvard ripped a two-RBI single to right, extending the lead to 7-0. In the sixth, Evans drew a bases-loaded walk, and Mitchell-Harvard followed with a run-scoring groundout to push the margin to 9-0. Belhaven later reached double digits with another run in the inning.

On the mound, Kaleb Smith was sharp, allowing just two hits over five scoreless innings while striking out two. Christian Corona and Will Robinson combined to finish the shutout, limiting the Tigers to just two hits total in the game.

Canale led the way offensively in game two, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Parker added three hits, while McCann and Abney each collected multiple hits in the victory.

The Blazers return to Trustmark Park on Friday for a standalone game vs. Hardin-Simmons at 6:00 PM.

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