JACKSON, Miss. - The No. 8 ranked Belhaven Baseball team jumped out to an early lead but could not hold off a late surge from Millsaps, falling 14-7 on Tuesday night at Twenty Field in the opening game of the 2026 Cowboy Maloney Series.  

Belhaven drops to 17-4 on the season as Millsaps used a pair of big innings in the middle frames to swing momentum and pull away.

Belhaven struck first in the second inning, manufacturing a run behind a pair of baserunners. Hayden Roberts reached and moved into scoring position, Chess Parker lined an RBI single to left to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead.  

The Blazers broke the game open in the third with their most complete inning of the night.

Following a leadoff single from Austin Canale, Belhaven capitalized on a defensive miscue before Parker Ryan drove in a run with a single. Roberts followed with an RBI single, and moments later Owen Abney delivered the biggest swing of the inning, lining a two-run single up the middle to extend the lead to 5-0.  

Millsaps began to chip away in the bottom of the third with a three-run inning, highlighted by a two-run home run that cut the Belhaven lead to 5-3.

The game shifted in the fourth. After a solo home run and a pair of extra-base hits brought the Majors even, a two-out rally flipped the game. A bases-loaded single plated two runs before another RBI hit pushed the lead to 8-5.  

Belhaven had a chance to limit the damage, but the extended inning proved costly as Millsaps capitalized on multiple opportunities with two outs.

The Blazers answered in the fifth to keep within striking distance.

Back-to-back singles from Blake McCarthy, Ryan and Roberts loaded the bases, and Abney drove in another run on a fielder's choice to trim the deficit to 8-6.  

On the mound, Belhaven's bullpen worked through traffic in the middle innings. Caleb Menard delivered a strong stretch, recording three strikeouts and helping the Blazers escape a key situation in the fifth without allowing a run.

Millsaps extended the lead in the sixth, using three walks and timely hitting to push across two runs and make it 10-6.

Belhaven had an opportunity to respond in the eighth after a leadoff single from Parker and aggressive baserunning moved him into scoring position, but the Blazers were unable to capitalize.

In the bottom half, Millsaps put the game out of reach with a four-run inning, taking advantage of a hit batter, an error and a pair of RBI hits to stretch the lead to 14-6.  

Belhaven added a run in the ninth when McCarthy connected for a solo home run to left field, his first of the season, but it was not enough to close the gap.

The Blazers have a three day, three game conference road trip at Piedmont from Thursday-Saturday later this week. First pitch on Thursday is set for 5:00 PM.

For the latest news on Belhaven Blazers athletics, follow @BelhavenBlazers on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook. To support Belhaven Athletics check out Team Green Giving.