By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
LAGRANGE, Ga. – No. 8/9 LaGrange (20-7, 8-0 CCS) would rally in the late innings of both ends of a doubleheader as they handed Belhaven (17-11, 9-2 CCS) their first two league losses in an NCAA Division III baseball doubleheader on Thursday, April 6. The meeting was the first two games of a critical Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) series likely to have a large say in determining the league's first ever champion and snapped the Blazers 14-game win streak.
GAME 1: LAGRANGE 6, BELHAVEN 5
The Panthers would waste no time getting on the board as a leadoff walk by senior outfielder Rhett Mixon (Loganville, Ga.), sacrifice bunt and then a double to right by senior third baseman Joe Ruth (Chiefland, Fla.) made it 1-0. A walk and double play would then follow to end the inning.
Belhaven came right back in the top of the second, however, as Nick Lucido would get clipped to leadoff the inning and then scored all the way from first on a double to the left centerfield gap by Preston Conlee, knotting things up at 1-1.
Offense would continue to be the order of the day in the home half of the inning as a one-out hit by pitch by junior first baseman Brooks Short (Auburn, Ala.) put a man on for LaGrange. A groundout moved him to second and freshman shortstop Jackson McElvy (Kennesaw, Ga.) then singled him home with a rip up the middle. McElvy would then make his way to second on a fielding error in center and third on a passed ball before Mixon drove him home with a single to left.
After setting the Blazers down in order the third it wouldn't take the Panthers long to add to their lead as freshman outfielder Curt Bonner (Cartersville, Ga.) belted a solo shot over the left centerfield fence to make it 4-1.
Belhaven would then build a picket fence clawing their way back to a 4-4 tie over the next three innings. They would start that climb in the fourth with three straight singles, the last being an RBI knock to right by Conlee. The fifth would see Kyle McLaughlin poke a leadoff single to left, steal second and race home on a two-out infield single by Dawson Albin before finally drawing even in the sixth.
Lucido would leadoff with a single, steal second and then come home on an RBI single to left by pinch hitter Owen Abney. That 4-4 deadlock would last hardly at all as junior second baseman Adam Dorn (Canton, Ga.) reached on an error at third to leadoff the fifth, was sacrificed to second by McElvy, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a double down the left field line by sophomore outfielder Jorge Fragoso (East Point, Ga.) to retake the lead at 5-4.
After one hit per team over the next inning, BU came through with a run to tie it as two singles, a double play and three straight walks, loaded the bases and pushed Lucido across home plate to tie it at 5-5 when Matthew Charbonnet drew the final free pass. A pitching change and a strikeout then prevented any further damage.
That would be key as LaGrange came right back with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth. That would take the form of a Dorn leadoff single, one-out fielding error to move him to third and a Fragoso single down the left field line to plate him and make it a 6-5 game. They would then load the bases with two outs when Bonner got plunked but the Blazers escaped with a grounder to shortstop.
Albin would keep hope alive with a leadoff single only to watch it be dashed with a slick 4-6-3 double play. After Lucido got hit by a pitch, freshman pitcher Eli Folds (Cullman, Ala.) locked down the key one-run victory as he induced a fly ball to right.
Conlee led Belhaven with a 3-for-5 day that included a double and pair of RBIs and Lucido went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Albin added an RBI and was 2-for-5 with Charbonnet driving home the only other RBI. Harris Coleman started and went five innings, allowing three earned runs, and Will Swift threw the final three innings, taking the loss to fall to 1-2 after giving up two unearned runs.
Fragoso led the way for LC, going 2-for-4 with a double and pair of RBIs and Ruth added a double and RBI. Bonner would rope a solo homerun as part of a 2-for-3 day and Mixon and McElvy produced the other Rbis. Dorn added a 2-for-4 day with a pair of runs as junior pitcher Ethan Fry (Kennesaw, Ga.) went six innings, allowing four earned runs against six strikeouts to get a no-decision. It would be Folds that picked up the win with 1.1 innings of relief to move to 3-2.
GAME 2: LAGRANGE 4, BELHAVEN 2
The Panthers would jump out ahead early as three straight singles by Mixon, Fragoso and Ruth would get them on the board, with the latter making it 1-0. Bonner would then double the lead when he reached on a fielding error to score Fragoso.
Belhaven cut that deficit in half with a run in the top of the third before offensive was at a premium over the next four and a half innings. In that time the clubs would combine for six hits before roaring back to life in the eighth. The Blazers would build a run in the top of the frame as Charbonnet walked, was sacrificed to second and scored when Albin laced a double to left to tie it up at 2-2.
Once again it wouldn't stay that way long as LC came through in the bottom of the inning, beginning with a leadoff single by junior outfielder Noah Preuer (Peachtree City, Ga.). A sac bunt pushed him to second and an error put Dorn on first and Preuer in the dugout with the Panthers' third run. After Dorn swiped second Mixon singled him home with a ball to center that made it 4-2.
In his second inning of work, junior pitcher Slade James (Phenix, City, Ala.) went to work in the ninth, allowing a one-out single and that runner to reach second on a wild pitch. That would be it, however, as he struck out the next batter and then ended it with a pop up to short, sealing the 4-2 victory.
Albin would lead the Blazers, going 2-for-4 with a double and the lone RBI and Nathan Herron finished 2-for-3 with a walk and a run. BU ace Brett Sanchez went 7.1 innings, striking out six and allowing four runs, two earned, along with nine hits to suffer the loss and fall to 4-2.
Ruth fueled the LaGrange offense, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI and Mixon was 2-for-5 with a run, RBI and stolen base. Bonner had the other RBI, slapping a single as part of a 1-for-3 day. Junior pitcher Dalton Brooks (Sharpsburg, Ga.) delivered a masterful seven innings, allowing just two runs and three hits against nine strikeouts to earn a no-decision against one of the best teams in the CCS. James pitched two perfect innings at the backend, striking out one, to get the win and move to 1-0.
UP NEXT
Despite the sweep, the series finale remains a critical game for both teams in pursuit of the first ever CCS regular season title. That matchup, originally slated for 11 a.m., has now been pushed back to 12:30 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, April 7.
