Belhaven University Athletics

JACKSON, Miss. - After dropping the opening game of the day to Emory, the Blazers had to regroup quickly with their season on the line. Ninety minutes later, they were celebrating a regional championship on their home field.

Behind a complete-game shutout from Macy Funderburk and timely offense late, Belhaven defeated Emory 4-0 in the winner-take-all regional final to capture the NCAA Division III Softball Belhaven Regional and advance to the NCAA Super Regional round for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

Belhaven improved to 40-10 overall, marking just the sixth 40-win season in program history.

The regional title did not come easily. Earlier in the day, Emory forced the deciding game with a 15-7 win over the Blazers in the first championship matchup. Belhaven entered the day needing just one win to advance, but the Eagles extended the regional with a high-scoring opener.

Emory struck first in Game 1 with a three-run inside-the-park home run in the second inning before adding another run in the third for a 4-0 lead. Belhaven answered in the bottom of the third after Grace Langston singled and later scored on a Kaleigh Steverson RBI fielder's choice.

The Eagles stretched the lead again in the fourth with a four-run inning, but the Blazers continued to battle back offensively. Lauren Dunbar and Maddie Bruner launched back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom half before Ellie Williamson added an RBI single to cut the deficit to 8-4.

Emory broke the game open in the seventh with seven runs, though Belhaven still fought to the final out. Kaylyn Hornaday delivered an RBI double and Bruner added a two-run double in the seventh inning to account for the final margin. Bruner finished 2-for-4 with a home run, double, and three RBI, while Langston collected two hits and Williamson drove in a pair.

But the story of the day shifted quickly in the decisive second game. With both teams turning around less than two hours later, Belhaven leaned on its ace once again.

Funderburk was dominant from the opening pitch, allowing just four hits across seven shutout innings while retiring 18 fly-ball outs and never allowing Emory to generate sustained momentum offensively. The junior stranded a runner in the first inning before working a clean second that included a strikeout looking.

Belhaven broke through in the third. Maddie Bruner opened the inning with a double before Grace Langston laid down a sacrifice bunt that forced a throwing error, allowing Bruner to score and Langston to move into scoring position. Reagan Bryan followed with another sacrifice bunt to move Langston to third, and Maryanna Guy lined an RBI single through the left side to give the Blazers a 2-0 advantage.

That was more than enough for Funderburk. Emory threatened briefly in the fourth after a two-out single, but Funderburk induced another harmless flyout to end the inning. She retired the side in order in the fifth and worked around a single in the sixth to keep the shutout intact.

Belhaven added insurance in the seventh. Melissa Lopera started the inning with a double to left before Dunbar followed with a single that moved runners to second and third. Liberty Gillihan then delivered one of the biggest hits of the regional, bouncing a single back through the middle that scored both runners and extended the lead to 4-0.

Funderburk closed the door in the bottom of the seventh with three straight outs, sending the Blazers back to the Super Regional round once again.

Following the regional, Ellie Williamson, Lauren Dunbar, and Kaleigh Steverson were each named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team, while Funderburk earned Most Outstanding Player honors after another standout postseason performance.

Funderburk went 3-1 during the regional with a 2.57 ERA and 13 strikeouts across 16.1 innings pitched. Meanwhile, Williamson led Belhaven with a .545 batting average during the four-game regional, while Steverson drove in five runs and hit .417. Dunbar added five hits, including three extra-base hits, over the weekend.

As a team, the Blazers hit .373 with 28 runs, 41 hits, 12 doubles, and six home runs across the regional.

The Blazers advance to the NCAA Super Regional, which will be played next week with an opponent and a location yet to be determined.

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