Box Score
JACKSON, MS - The Mississippi College baseball team avenged their lone loss of the season with a 3-2 victory over Belhaven University at soggy Smith-Wills Stadium on Tuesday night. The win gives the Choctaws (13-1) a 2-1 record in the Cowboy Maloney Series, knotting them with the Blazers (16-4) in the standings.
The Choctaws used outstanding pitching and timely hitting to pick up the one-run win. Junior
Terrell Prescott (2-0) was almost perfect through 5.0 innings, allowing one hit and two walk while striking out five. The Wiggins native only needed 64 pitches to give the Choctaws their 11th straight victory.
Junior
Daniel Cowart recorded his third save of the season, going the final 4.0 innings to finish the game. The Hinds Community College transfer allowed two hits and one earned run while striking out two.
MC opened the scoring in the second inning when senior
Bo Bell hit his fifth home run of the season on the first pitch he saw from Belhaven starter Riley Galloway. Bell finished the night 1-3 with two runs scored and the RBI.
The Choctaws would open the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning on the strength of a sacrifice fly from senior
Brannon Walls and an infield run-scoring single from senior
Jacob Daniel.
Belhaven would keep the Choctaws scoreless the rest of the way, led by Andy Kuehn who came out of the bullpen to throw 4.0 strong innings. Kuehn allowed three hits and struck out three while keeping the MC batters off balance.
The Blazers would finally break through in the seventh inning on an RBI groundout from Brandon Benton that scored Timmy Foster who doubled earlier in the inning.
Heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Choctaws still held a 3-1 lead over Belhaven. Drew Dillard would lead off the inning with a single and eventually advanced to third base with just one out.
Lake Eiland would ground out to junior
Clay Crosswhite at third base for the second out of the inning. Foster would reach on an error by shortstop
Dakota Bodree that scored Dillard from third to cut the lead to 3-2. Benton would then fly out to Walls to end the game and give MC the victory.
The Choctaws would pound out 10 hits, including two from junior
Andy Smith and Crosswhite each.
MC will open conference play on Friday when they open a three-game series against Louisiana College at 6:00 p.m. at Frierson Field. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 12:00 p.m.