LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. - The Belhaven Softball team put together a complete day on both sides of the ball, sweeping Covenant in a doubleheader with a pair of 10-2 victories on Saturday afternoon.    

Game One - Belhaven 10, Covenant 2

Belhaven wasted little time getting on the board in the opener. In the first inning, Melissa Lopera singled and came around to score on an RBI single up the middle by Maryanna Guy to give the Blazers an early 1-0 lead.  

Covenant answered in the bottom half, taking advantage of an error and a pair of walks to tie the game, but Belhaven quickly responded.

The Blazers broke things open in the second inning with a three-run frame. Maddie Keller doubled to drive in a run before Reagan Bryan followed with a two-run single to center, pushing the lead to 4-1.  

Belhaven continued to add on in the third as Ellie Williamson doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Lauren Dunbar, extending the advantage to 5-1.  

Covenant trimmed the deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the third with an RBI single, but the Blazers shut the door from there.

In the fourth, Belhaven manufactured another run as Lopera scored on a fielder's choice to make it 6-2.  

The Blazers added a run in the fifth when Maddie Bruner tripled and later scored on Lopera's RBI single, stretching the lead to 7-2.  

Belhaven put the game out of reach in the sixth inning with three more runs. Liberty Gillihan launched a solo home run to right, and later in the inning, back-to-back doubles from Bruner and Lily Wainwright, followed by an RBI double from Lopera, pushed the margin to 10-2.  

In the circle, Karley Rouse battled through early traffic, working around multiple baserunners in the first inning before limiting the damage. She exited in the third after Covenant's second run, and Macy Funderburk took over and dominated. Funderburk allowed just one hit over the final 3.1 innings while striking out six, including key strikeouts to escape a sixth-inning threat and preserve the lead.  

Belhaven finished with 17 hits in the opener, led by Lopera's four-hit performance, while Bruner added three hits and scored three times.  

Game Two - Belhaven 10, Covenant 2

The Blazers carried their momentum into game two with another fast start.

After Reagan Bryan reached and stole second in the first inning, Maryanna Guy delivered the big swing with a two-run home run to right center, putting Belhaven ahead 2-0.  

Covenant answered with a two-run first inning of its own, stringing together five hits to even the score at 2-2. Belhaven turned to Funderburk in relief, and she immediately settled things down, retiring the final batter of the inning and keeping the game tied.  

From there, the Blazers took control.

Lauren Dunbar led off the second inning with a solo home run to give Belhaven a 3-2 lead, and the Blazers added another in the third when Williamson doubled home a run following an error to make it 4-2.  

In the fourth, Belhaven extended the lead further as Bruner tripled and scored on an RBI single from Lopera, pushing the margin to 6-2.  

The Blazers continued to apply pressure in the fifth with a sacrifice fly from Dunbar to bring home another run, and then broke the game open in the sixth.

Belhaven plated three runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by Williamson's RBI double and a run-scoring single from Gillihan to cap the scoring at 10-2.  

Funderburk was outstanding in relief, allowing just one hit over 5.1 scoreless innings while striking out four. After inheriting a jam in the first inning, she shut down Covenant's offense the rest of the way, retiring 16 of the final 17 batters she faced.

The Blazers return to Jackson for the second game of the Riverside Rivalry next Tuesday at Millsaps. First pitch is set for 6:00 PM.

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