PEARL, Miss. - The No. 11 Belhaven Baseball team continued its strong start to the 2026 season on Wednesday night, erupting for a pair of big innings to defeat Alma 13-1 in seven innings at Trustmark Park. The Blazers broke open a scoreless game with nine runs in the fifth inning before adding four more in the sixth to pull away from the Scots.

The game began as a tight pitching duel between the two teams.

Belhaven starter Logan McNamara was sharp from the outset, allowing just two hits over the first five innings while striking out four and consistently working ahead in counts. McNamara worked around a single in the second and another in the fourth, keeping Alma off the board while inducing weak contact throughout his outing.

The Blazers also had opportunities early but were unable to push a run across. Parker Ryan and Owen Abney each recorded singles in the third inning, and Marvin Jackson doubled in the fourth, but Alma's pitching escaped the jams to keep the game scoreless through four innings.

Belhaven finally broke through in a massive fifth inning.

Ryan started the rally with a single before Abney was hit by a pitch and Chess Parker worked a walk to load the bases. Shawn Mitchell-Harvard delivered the first run with an RBI single to right center.

Moments later, Trey Flettrich ripped a two-run single to bring home Abney and Parker and extend the lead to 3-0.

The rally continued as Austin Canale lined a two-run single up the middle to plate Flettrich and Mitchell-Harvard. After Canale later scored on a wild pitch, Belhaven kept the pressure on.

Abney reached on an error that allowed another run to cross, and additional defensive miscues by Alma allowed two more runs to score as the Blazers plated nine runs in the inning to surge ahead 9-0.  

Alma broke through in the sixth inning with a run after a leadoff single and a ground-ball double play that allowed a runner to score from third.

Belhaven immediately answered in the bottom half with another offensive surge.

Flettrich drew a walk and Jackson followed with a single before Canale worked another walk to load the bases. Pinch hitter Trey Smith delivered an RBI single to score Flettrich and push the lead to 10-1.

Blake McCarthy then added an RBI single, and Ryan capped the rally with a two-run single up the middle to extend the lead to 13-1.  

Ryan led the offense with three hits and four RBI, while Canale recorded two RBI and scored twice. Flettrich added two RBI and Jackson finished with two hits, including a double that helped spark early pressure.

Abney also drove in a run and reached base during the decisive fifth-inning rally as the Blazers' lineup produced contributions throughout the order.

Following McNamara's strong start, Ashton Bultron worked the sixth inning and allowed one run while navigating traffic with a key double play that limited further damage.

Logan Gruber closed out the seventh inning with a scoreless frame to secure the victory.

The Blazers prepare for a three-game series against Hanover this weekend. The series begins Friday with a doubleheader scheduled for 2:00 PM.

The Blazers enter the weekend at 9-0 overall and ranked No. 11 in the latest D3Baseball.com national poll.