SALEM, Va. — Belhaven’s softball team saw its most successful season in program history come to an end Saturday with a 5-2 loss to Trine in the NCAA Division III semifinals at the Moyer Complex.
The seventh-seeded Blazers finished with a 44-12 record, tying for the fourth-most wins in a single season in program history. Their run to the national semifinals was the second in three years, behind only the 2024 team that advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship Series.
Belhaven secured its second consecutive CCS Tournament title, hosted and won its first NCAA Regional, and claimed the Jackson Super Regional title en route to the semifinals. The team faced a Trine squad that entered needing just one win to reach the championship series.
Trine struck early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a leadoff single and a two-run home run. Belhaven responded in the third, with NFCA Second Team All-America honoree Maryanna Guy launching her 12th home run of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Thunder responded in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with two outs before a two-run single extended their lead to 4-1. Belhaven pitcher Macy Funderburk kept the Blazers within reach, working out of trouble and pitching three innings of relief, including four strikeouts.
Belhaven mounted a late rally in the sixth inning, with pinch runner Maddie Keller scoring after a single and a double by Melissa Lopera brought her home, making the score 5-2. The team threatened again in the seventh, but Trine secured the final out to end the game.
Guy led the offense with a 2-for-2 performance, including a home run and a walk. Lopera went 1-for-2 with an RBI double, while Langston and Bruner contributed hits. Despite the season ending one game short of the finals, Belhaven finished with a historic campaign that included winning the CCS regular-season and tournament titles and reaching the NCAA semifinals for the second time in three years.
The Blazers finished their season with a 44-12 record and added another chapter to one of the most successful eras in program history.
