Belhaven University Athletics

OXFORD, Ala. - Facing back-to-back elimination games in the CCS Semifinals, No. 1 seed Belhaven responded with two complete performances on Friday, knocking off Piedmont and Maryville to advance to the CCS Championship Series at Choccolocco Park.

The wins not only kept the Blazers alive, but the latter game also avenged earlier losses to Maryville, one in the regular season and another earlier in the tournament. Belhaven now moves on to face No. 2 seed Huntingdon, needing to win twice on Saturday to claim the CCS title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Game 1: Belhaven 10, Piedmont 8
Belhaven came out aggressive at the plate and never let up, building an early lead and holding off a late push from Piedmont. The Blazers struck first in the opening inning, using three hits and a walk to take a 2-0 lead. Maryanna Guy delivered an RBI single, and another run came across on a bases-loaded walk.

Piedmont answered with two runs of its own in the bottom half, but Belhaven continued to apply pressure. Maddie Bruner tripled to start the second, and Guy followed with another RBI knock to make it 3-2.

The offense kept rolling in the fourth. With runners on, Guy came through again with an RBI single before Ellie Williamson added another to push the lead to 5-2. Belhaven added two more in the fifth behind RBI singles from Reagan Bryan and Guy, extending the margin to 7-2.

The biggest swing came in the sixth when Bruner launched a two-run home run to left center, stretching the lead to 9-2 and giving the Blazers breathing room. Grace Langston added an inside-the-park home run in the seventh to cap the scoring on Belhaven's side.

Piedmont made things interesting late, plating three runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh to cut the deficit to two. With runners on and momentum shifting, Belhaven turned back to its defense to close it out. A key double play in the final frame ended the threat and secured the 10-8 win.  

Guy led the charge with a perfect 5-for-5 day and four RBI, while Bruner added three hits and two RBI. Langston and Bryan each scored multiple runs as part of a 15-hit performance.

Game 2: Belhaven 12, Maryville 4
With a spot in the championship series on the line, Belhaven wasted no time flipping the script from earlier losses to Maryville. The Scots again struck first, scoring three runs in the opening inning, just like the first game of the CCS Tournament, but this time the Blazers answered immediately.

Belhaven responded with five runs in the bottom half of the first, taking advantage of early miscues and timely hitting. Liberty Gillihan delivered the biggest blow of the inning with a bases-clearing triple to give the Blazers a 5-3 lead. After Maryville trimmed the deficit to one in the fourth, Belhaven broke the game open for good.

The Blazers plated five runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by RBI singles from Reagan Bryan and Kaleigh Steverson along with a two-run double from Gillihan that pushed the lead to 10-4. Belhaven continued to tack on late, adding two more runs in the sixth. Ellie Williamson tripled home a run before Steverson followed with an RBI single to make it 12-4.

In the circle, Macy Funderburk settled in after the first inning and controlled the game the rest of the way. She worked through traffic in the middle innings, including a fourth-inning jam with runners on, limiting further damage and keeping the momentum on Belhaven's side.

Gillihan finished with five RBI, while Steverson collected three hits and drove in two. Langston and Bryan each scored twice as the Blazers capitalized on 11 hits and five walks.

Belhaven now advances to the CCS Championship Series in a matchup of the conference's top two seeds. The Blazers will need to win twice against Huntingdon on Saturday to secure the CCS title and earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

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