PEARL, Miss. - The No. 11 ranked Belhaven Baseball team continued its remarkable start to the 2026 season on Saturday, rallying late to defeat Hanover 12-11 in dramatic fashion at Trustmark Park. The walkoff win improved the Blazers to 12-0, the best record in NCAA Division III, as Belhaven completed the weekend series sweep.  

Belhaven erased multiple deficits throughout the afternoon, including trailing by five with two outs in the eighth inning, and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth to cap another comeback victory.

Hanover struck first with a big inning in the second. After a leadoff single and two walks loaded the bases, Kadin Bush delivered an RBI single that plated the first two runs. Wesley Stiller followed with a run-scoring double down the right field line, and Trevor Jones added an RBI single to extend the lead.

A sacrifice fly later in the inning pushed the Panthers in front 5-0.  

Belhaven responded immediately in the bottom half. Parker Ryan launched a solo home run to right field to get the Blazers on the board, and moments later Owen Abney tripled before Jake McCann drove him home with an RBI single to trim the deficit to 5-2.  

Belhaven continued to chip away in the third inning. Blake McCarthy reached and moved into scoring position before Ryan lined an RBI single to right field. Abney followed with another run-scoring hit, bringing the Blazers within one at 5-4.

Hanover answered again in the fourth inning. A sacrifice fly scored one run before Fox Spears delivered a two-RBI single up the middle to push the Panthers' lead to 7-4.  

The Blazers again responded in the fifth inning. McCarthy doubled to right center and later scored on a groundout by Ryan, cutting the deficit to 7-5.

Belhaven's pitching staff worked to keep the game within reach after the early deficit. Cole Covington provided two key innings out of the bullpen, and Shawn Mitchell-Harvard followed with a scoreless frame to settle things down.

The Panthers added two more runs in the sixth inning, including a run that scored on an error that allowed a runner to cross the plate, extending the lead to 9-5.

Belhaven's bullpen stepped up again as Caleb Menard entered and worked through traffic, limiting further damage and keeping the Blazers within striking distance heading into the late innings.

Belhaven began another rally in the seventh. Hayden Roberts worked a walk and later scored after advancing on a balk during a tense sequence that trimmed the Hanover lead to 9-6.  

Hanover added a run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly, stretching the lead to 11-6 and putting the Blazers five runs behind heading into the bottom half of the inning.

Belhaven's offense exploded in the eighth inning to flip the momentum.

With two outs, Austin Canale and Nick Thornton drew walks to set the stage. McCarthy followed with another walk to load the bases before Roberts reached on an error that allowed two runs to score.

Moments later, Ryan ripped an RBI double to right center to tie the game, and Abney delivered a clutch single to center field that tied the game.

In the bottom of the ninth, Belhaven quickly put the winning run in position. JD Weed worked a leadoff walk before Thornton hit a ground-rule double to right center to move the winning run to third.

After McCarthy was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Roberts lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that allowed Weed to tag and score the game-winning run, completing the comeback victory.  

Ryan led the way with three hits, including a home run and a double, while driving in four runs. Abney also recorded three hits with two RBI and a triple, while McCann added three hits and an RBI. McCarthy scored three runs, and Roberts delivered three RBI including the walk-off sacrifice fly.

Seven different pitchers combined to secure the win for Belhaven. John Wade earned the victory after closing out the ninth inning with a scoreless frame.

With the win, Belhaven improves to 12-0 on the season, the best record in NCAA Division III, while remaining ranked No. 11 in the latest D3Baseball.com poll. The Blazers will look to carry their momentum forward as they continue hit the road for three consecutive games next week.

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