PEARL, Miss. - The No. 19 ranked Belhaven Baseball team broke the game open early and never let up, rolling past Millsaps 12-1 on Tuesday night at Trustmark Park.  

The win moves the Blazers to 18-7 on the year and evens the 2026 Cowboy Maloney Series at 1-1, with the final matchup set for later this month.

Belhaven didn't waste any time to open the game.

After Blake McCarthy was hit by a pitch to start the inning and quickly moved into scoring position, Nick Thornton followed with a walk and Austin Canale was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Hayden Roberts cashed in right away with a two-run single up the middle.

A heads-up double steal brought in another run, and the lineup kept turning from there. JD Weed added a single, Chess Parker drove in a run, and Jake McCann was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in another. McCarthy followed with a walk to bring home one more.

Thornton delivered the big swing of the inning with a two-run double down the line, and Canale added a two-run single of his own. Roberts capped it with another RBI knock as Belhaven sent 14 hitters to the plate and built an 11-0 lead before the inning finally came to a close.  

The Blazers tacked on another run in the third. McCarthy got on again and moved up, setting up Thornton for a sacrifice fly to center that pushed the lead to 12-0.  

On the mound, Caleb Johnson gave Belhaven exactly what it needed.

The right-hander worked five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while navigating a few traffic spots. In the second, he walked the leadoff hitter but quickly got a double play and a flyout to erase the threat of a score.

Cole Covington allowed a run in the sixth after a single and some movement on the bases, but limited the damage. Gavin Brint handled the final inning cleanly, striking out two.

Belhaven finished with seven hits but did a great job creating offense in other ways. The Blazers drew five walks, were hit by pitches four times, and stayed aggressive on the bases throughout the night. 

Roberts led the way with two hits and three RBI, while Thornton drove in three and scored twice. Canale added two RBI, and Weed chipped in a pair of hits.

Belhaven will look to carry the momentum forward as the Blazers return to conference play later this week, traveling to Lookout Mountain, Georgia to take on Covenant in a three-game series beginning on Friday. First pitch is set for 2:00 PM.

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