Belhaven University Athletics

MARSHALL, Texas - Belhaven battled back from an early deficit and brought the tying run to the plate late, but Concordia (Texas) held off the Blazers for a 12-8 win Saturday morning in an elimination game at the NCAA Division III Marshall Regional.

The loss ends Belhaven's season at 31-15 and closes out another memorable year for the program, one that included a second straight NCAA Regional appearance, a trip to the CCS Championship Series for the second consecutive season, and a rise to No. 4 in the D3baseball.com Top 25 earlier this spring.

The Blazers also spent much of the season nationally ranked, finished as the No. 2 seed in the CCS Tournament, and put together one of the top offensive seasons in recent program history.

Concordia struck first in the second inning on a solo homer before adding another run later in the frame to take a 2-0 lead. Belhaven answered immediately with one of its biggest innings of their regional run. After JD Weed and Jake McCann reached with back-to-back singles, Blake McCarthy lined an RBI single up the middle to get the Blazers on the board. Following a passed ball that moved both runners into scoring position, Austin Canale delivered the biggest swing of the inning, ripping a three-run double down the left field line to give Belhaven a 4-2 lead.

The Tornados answered in the third with a solo home run before tying the game later in the inning on a passed ball. An inning later, Concordia took control with another power surge. A leadoff homer gave the Tornados the lead before a three-run blast later in the frame stretched the advantage to 8-4.

Belhaven managed to limit additional damage after the inning threatened to grow larger. Brandon Rhodes entered in relief and helped settle things down by retiring the final two hitters of the frame.

Concordia added another run in the fifth, but the Blazers again responded. Hayden Roberts cut the deficit to 9-5 in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run to center field, one of several big hits he delivered during Belhaven's postseason run.

The Blazers made their biggest push in the seventh. McCarthy opened the inning with a single before Nick Thornton and Canale worked walks to load the bases. Roberts followed with an RBI walk, and Chess Parker was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring another run home. Later in the inning, Owen Abney lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that trimmed the deficit to 10-8.

Belhaven continued applying pressure despite facing elimination, bringing the dugout back to life after trailing by as many as five runs.

The Blazers also found key moments on the mound late in the game. Rhodes worked 4.2 innings in relief and helped Belhaven stay within striking distance, including getting out of a sixth-inning jam after Concordia put a runner aboard with one out. The Blazers also turned two double plays defensively, including a clean inning-ending turn in the eighth that kept the margin at two runs.

Concordia finally added insurance in the ninth with two runs, extending the lead back to four.

Belhaven threatened one final time in the bottom of the inning after Roberts walked and Parker Ryan singled to put runners on the corners, but the rally ended with the tying run still in the on-deck circle.

Saturday's game marked the end of another successful season for Belhaven baseball. The Blazers won 31 games, reached the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, and spent much of the spring ranked among the top teams in Division III. Belhaven climbed as high as No. 4 nationally during the season and earned wins over multiple nationally recognized opponents throughout the year.

The season also included another Cowboy Maloney Series victory over Millsaps, a return trip to the CCS Championship Series, and several individual honors, including four First Team All-Conference selections and multiple all-region caliber performances.

Belhaven now turns the page toward 2027 after another postseason run that kept the program among the top teams in the South Region and throughout Division III baseball.

For the latest news on Belhaven Blazers athletics, follow @BelhavenBlazers on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook. To support Belhaven Athletics check out Team Green Giving.