PEARL, Miss. - The No. 8 ranked Belhaven Baseball team capped off a dominant opening weekend of Collegiate Conference of the South play on Saturday, taking two in a doubleheader from Maryville at Trustmark Park to complete a three-game series sweep.

With the pair of wins, the Blazers move to 17-3 overall and open CCS play at 3-0, outscoring Maryville 19-11 across the doubleheader.

Game One: Belhaven 7, Maryville 3
Belhaven wasted no time setting the tone in the opener, striking for three runs in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff single and a walk put traffic on the bases, Owen Abney delivered an RBI single before Chess Parker lifted a sacrifice fly. A wild pitch later in the inning brought home another run as the Blazers jumped out to a 3-0 lead.  

Maryville scratched across an unearned run in the second, but Belhaven's pitching staff limited the damage early. Starter Cole Burton worked out of multiple situations, stranding runners in scoring position in both the fourth and fifth innings to maintain the lead.

The Blazers added on in the fifth with a mix of pressure and execution. With runners on, Abney reached on a play that forced a throwing error, allowing a run to score before Parker followed with an RBI single to make it 5-1.  

Maryville made things interesting in the eighth, using a triple and a groundout to cut the deficit to 5-3. But Belhaven responded immediately in the bottom half. After loading the bases, Wyatt Buratt came through with a clutch two-run single to push the lead back to four and put the game out of reach.  

On the mound, Burton earned the win with five strong innings, allowing just one run, while the bullpen combination of Hayden Roberts and Christian Corona closed the door. Corona sealed it in the ninth, stranding a runner after a hit-by-pitch to end the game.  

Belhaven totaled 12 hits in the opener, with Abney and Parker Ryan each collecting three hits, while Thornton added two runs scored at the top of the lineup.

Game Two: Belhaven 5, Maryville 3
The second game required a different formula, as Belhaven battled back from an early deficit to secure the sweep.

Maryville jumped in front in the second inning, using aggressive baserunning and extra-base hits to take a 2-0 lead. The Blazers answered in the third when Abney drove in a run with a single after back-to-back hit batters created an opportunity.  

Belhaven evened the score in the fourth behind situational hitting. Marvin Jackson tripled to center and later scored on a groundout to tie the game at 2-2.  

The Blazers took control in the fifth without recording a hit early in the frame. Capitalizing on an error and working quality at-bats, Belhaven pushed across two runs, including an RBI hit-by-pitch from Braydon Evans, to take a 4-2 lead.  

In the seventh, Belhaven added a key insurance run. After a single and a misplay in the outfield, Evans delivered again with an RBI single to extend the advantage to 5-2.  

Maryville threatened in the ninth, scoring once and loading the bases, but the Blazers bullpen held firm. John Wade entered late and recorded the final out with a strikeout, earning his fifth save of the season and preserving the sweep.  

Starter Kaleb Smith picked up the win, while the bullpen combined to allow just one earned run over the final four innings despite consistent traffic on the bases.

Series Notes
    •    The Blazers scored in eight different innings across the three games
    •    Owen Abney recorded multiple hits in both games of the doubleheader and drove in key runs throughout the series
    •    Braydon Evans delivered three RBI in game two, including two in key late-game situations
    •    The pitching staff limited Maryville to just five total runs in the final 18 innings of the series

Up Next
Belhaven will look to carry the momentum of a strong opening weekend into the heart of conference play as the Blazers continue CCS action next week. The Blazers travel to Piedmont for the beginning of a three-game series that runs from Thursday thru Saturday.

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