BARTOW, Fla. - The Belhaven Softball team opened play at The Spring Games in Bartow, Florida with a pair of victories on Wednesday, rallying late to defeat Husson 3-2 before erupting offensively in a 15-3 win over Dominican (Ill.).

With the sweep, the Blazers improved to 12-6 overall to begin their spring break trip.

Game One: Belhaven 3, Husson 2
Belhaven opened the day with a late comeback, scoring two runs in the seventh inning to secure a 3-2 victory over Husson.

Both teams were held scoreless in the opening inning as pitcher Karley Rouse worked around early traffic with a pair of strikeouts.

Belhaven threatened in the second when Lauren Dunbar drew a walk and Liberty Gillihan followed with a single through the left side, putting two runners on base. Husson managed to escape the inning with a groundout to keep the game scoreless.

Husson broke through in the bottom of the second inning. After two walks and a sacrifice bunt moved runners into scoring position, a fielder's choice brought home the first run of the game to give Husson a 1-0 lead.

The Blazers responded in the fifth inning. Grace Langston worked a walk and moved to third when Melissa Lopera singled to right field. Reagan Bryan then lifted a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Langston to score and tie the game at 1-1.

Husson regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning when a leadoff single eventually came around to score following a defensive miscue, putting the Eagles ahead 2-1.

Belhaven answered in dramatic fashion in the seventh inning.

Lopera opened the inning with a single before Bryan followed with another base hit to put two runners on base. Maryanna Guy then delivered the biggest swing of the afternoon, ripping a double down the left-field line that scored both runners and gave the Blazers a 3-2 lead.

Rouse returned to the circle in the bottom of the seventh and closed the door, retiring the Eagles to secure the victory.

Rouse earned the win with six innings of relief, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out six.

Lopera and Guy each recorded two hits to lead Belhaven's seven-hit attack, while Guy finished with two RBIs including the game-winning double.

Game Two: Belhaven 15, Dominican (Ill.) 3
The Blazers carried their momentum into the second game of the day, scoring in three separate innings to run away with a 15-3 victory over Dominican.

Belhaven wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the first inning. Lopera and Bryan opened the frame with back-to-back singles before aggressive baserunning allowed the Blazers to score their first run on a passed ball. After Bryan stole home, Kaleigh Steverson drove in another run with a double to center field. Gracey Harbour later added an RBI single as Belhaven jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

Dominican threatened in the second inning with a pair of hits, but the Blazers worked out of the jam to maintain the four-run advantage.

Belhaven added to its lead in the third inning. Maryanna Guy launched a solo home run to left field to start the frame before a rally later in the inning extended the lead. RBI hits from Emma Moore and aggressive baserunning helped Belhaven push four more runs across to take an 8-0 advantage.

Dominican responded in the fourth inning with a three-run rally, capitalizing on a pair of hits and a defensive miscue to cut the deficit to 8-3.

The Blazers answered immediately with their biggest offensive inning of the day.

Belhaven erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of walks and timely hits to break the game open. RBI singles from Liberty Gillihan, Grace Langston, and additional run-scoring plays throughout the inning pushed the Blazer lead to 15-3.

From there, Belhaven's pitching staff shut the door. AR Sharp earned the win in the circle, allowing three runs over 3.2 innings while striking out two. Gracey Harbour provided strong relief, striking out three over the final 1.1 innings to secure the run-rule victory.

The Blazers recorded 11 hits in the win, led by Gillihan with two hits and an RBI. Moore drove in three runs, while Guy added a home run and an RBI. Several Belhaven hitters contributed to the offensive surge as the Blazers capitalized on seven walks and aggressive baserunning.

Belhaven continues play at The Spring Games tomorrow morning with games against Case Western Reserve and Wittenberg. First pitch is set for 9:00 AM.