LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. — The No. 19 Belhaven baseball team won both games of a doubleheader against Covenant on Friday, improving to 20-7 this season. The Blazers aim for a sweep in Saturday’s third game.
In the opener, Belhaven built an early lead and held off a mid-game rally, winning 7-4. The Blazers scored first in the second inning with aggressive baserunning, as Chess Parker hit a single, stole second, and Owen Abney stole home. Blake McCarthy doubled in the third and scored on a groundout from Austin Canale to give Belhaven a 2-0 lead.
Covenant responded in the fourth, taking a 3-2 lead after an error and two hits. The Blazers tied the game in the fifth on an RBI single from Canale, and took the lead in the sixth with a two-run single from McCarthy, who finished with two RBIs and two hits. Belhaven added two insurance runs in the eighth, with JD Weed tripling and scoring on a balk. Pitcher Gunner Staten pitched six strong innings, allowing two hits and one earned run, while relievers Caleb Menard and John Wade shut down Covenant in the late innings.
The second game was a tighter contest, ending 3-2 in favor of Belhaven. Cole Burton struck out 10 over 7.2 innings, limiting Covenant to four hits. The Blazers scored first in the first inning on a triple by Canale and a subsequent run. They added a third run in the third after a single by Roberts and a wild pitch. Covenant scored twice, once in the second and again in the third, but the Blazers held on.
Wade earned the save in the ninth, striking out the final three batters. Belhaven managed five hits in the game but capitalized on opportunities and played strong defense. With the doubleheader sweep, the Blazers lead the series 2-0 and will try to complete the sweep Saturday.
