PEARL, Miss. - The No. 11 ranked Belhaven Baseball team continued its unbeaten start to the 2026 season on Friday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader from Hanover at Trustmark Park. The Blazers exploded offensively in the opener with an 18-6 victory before securing an 8-3 win in the nightcap to move to 11-0 on the season.    

Belhaven's lineup produced 29 runs and 32 hits across the two games while the pitching staff delivered several key moments to keep the Panthers from mounting late rallies.

Game One: Belhaven 18, Hanover 6
The opener began with Hanover grabbing the early momentum. A two-run home run by Alex Yuskewich in the third inning gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead before an RBI single from Michael Kirk extended the advantage to 3-0. Hanover added another run in the fourth on an RBI double to build a 4-0 cushion.  

Belhaven responded in the bottom of the fourth inning. Nick Thornton singled to start the rally before Owen Abney crushed a two-run home run to left-center to put the Blazers on the board. Later in the inning, JD Weed singled and moved into scoring position before Jake McCann drove him home with a groundout. Austin Canale followed with a base hit, and Hayden Roberts delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 4-4.  

Hanover briefly regained the lead in the fifth with two runs on consecutive RBI singles, but Belhaven answered immediately. Weed doubled down the left field line to bring home Thornton, and Canale later singled to drive in Weed to even the score again.

From there, the Blazers took complete control.

Belhaven pushed across four runs in the fifth inning to move in front 8-6 before erupting for a massive nine-run sixth inning. Thornton sparked the rally with a walk and later scored on an RBI single from Abney. Canale then delivered a two-run double to right center, and Roberts followed with a single to keep the line moving.

Later in the inning, Chess Parker drove in two runs with a single before Thornton added an RBI hit of his own. Weed capped the inning with another run-scoring double, and Canale delivered the final blow with a two-RBI single as Belhaven stretched the lead to 17-6.  

Canale led the offensive explosion, finishing with four hits and five RBI. Thornton reached base five times and scored four runs, while Weed collected three hits and two RBI. Abney added a home run and three RBI as part of the Blazers' 21-hit performance.

On the mound, Cole Burton earned the win after tossing four innings with four strikeouts. The bullpen combination of Trey Flettrich, Brandon Rhodes, Christian Corona, and Gavin Brint handled the final innings to secure the victory.

Game Two: Belhaven 8, Hanover 3
Belhaven carried the momentum into the second game, scoring early and never trailing.

The Blazers struck first in the opening inning when Blake McCarthy scored on a wild pitch following a pair of baserunners to give Belhaven a 1-0 lead.  

Belhaven added three more runs in the second inning. Weed and McCann worked walks before Austin Canale lined an RBI double down the right field line. Thornton followed with a groundout that brought home another run, and McCarthy added an RBI single to push the lead to 4-0.  

Hanover got on the board in the fourth with an RBI groundout, but the Blazers answered again in the fifth. McCann singled and later scored before Canale drove in another run with a groundout. Thornton added another RBI groundout to extend the lead to 8-2.  

The Panthers added a run in the eighth on an RBI single, but Belhaven's bullpen prevented any further damage.

Sophomore southpaw Gunner Staten turned in another strong outing, earning the win after allowing just one hit through five innings while striking out four. Staten worked around several walks early and escaped a bases-loaded situation in the fifth to keep Hanover from closing the gap.  

The bullpen then finished the job. Marcus Jackson tossed a clean sixth inning before Brayden Gillies struck out two in the seventh. Hanover threatened in the eighth after loading the bases, but Will Robinson induced a key double play to end the inning. Hayden Roberts closed out the ninth with two strikeouts to secure the victory.  

Canale again paced the offense with two hits and four RBI, while McCarthy collected two hits and an RBI. Owen Abney added three hits, and McCann and Thompson both scored twice as the Blazers finished with 11 hits in the nightcap.

Belhaven will look to complete the three-game series sweep against Hanover when the teams meet again on Saturday at 11:00 AM at Trustmark Park.

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