The No. 16 Belhaven Baseball team rallied from an early deficit to beat Huntingdon 11-6 in the opening game of their three-game series Friday night at Neal Posey Field in Montgomery, Alabama. The game was a rematch of last year’s CCS Championship Game, which Huntingdon won 3-1.
Huntingdon took an early lead with a solo home run in the first inning. The hosts added three more runs in the second, pushing their advantage to 4-0. They extended the lead to 6-1 in the fourth inning. Belhaven starting pitcher Gunner Staten struggled early but limited further damage by escaping a bases-loaded situation.
The Blazers began their rally in the fourth, with Owen Abney driving in a run with an RBI single. In the fifth, Jake McCann doubled to start the inning and scored on Blake McCarthy’s double. Hayden Roberts followed with a two-run double, making the score 6-4.
Belhaven continued to close the gap in the sixth. Nick Thornton’s sacrifice fly brought in a run, cutting the deficit to 6-5. In the seventh, Roberts homered to tie the game at 6-6. Moments later, Abney delivered an RBI single, giving the Blazers their first lead of the night at 7-6. McCann then hit a two-run home run, extending the lead to 9-6.
The Blazers added two more runs in the ninth. Parker Ryan doubled to start the inning, and Marvin Jackson followed with a two-run homer to make it 11-6. Caleb Johnson earned the win, pitching two scoreless innings. Caleb Menard finished the game with two clean innings, striking out three.
Roberts recorded his fourth four-hit game of the season, while Abney matched a season-high with three hits for the second consecutive game. Belhaven and Huntingdon will continue their series Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for 1 p.m.
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